whales and a kazoo

Umm, hello. Whale wallpaper?! I wish I could replace my current pink puff ball wallpaper with this from Walnut Wallpaper. . .

My friend recently gave me a bunch of his dad's old mix tapes, which included an old favorite, Clapton Unplugged. Maybe its because I love San Francisco so darn much, or maybe its just cause listing to a cassette tape is an entirely different experience, but this song has brought me much joy and car dancing the past few days. Enjoy : )

they painted up your secrets

Here I sit, in my Christmas thermal, my space in disarray and I have no idea how to get organized all over again. I do know I'm up to the challenge though. I just wish I could find my surge protector. . .man, if they made those for life we'd all be in good shape.

But seriously, I'm sorting out my whole life all over again and I feel like I'm in the same place I was exactly a year ago. It seems like 2008 didn't even happen. It must have been a dream. The only remarkable difference was that last January I went to SF and this January I'll be in Long Beach. Oh California. . .

{don't think twice, its alright}

All week I've had to keep reminding myself to just keep breathing. . .everything will work out, because it always does. So I really like this little heart beat tumbler by urban soule.
*So sweet*

Today I'm grateful for:

All Wheel Drive
My "little" brother who is much more a man than many men will ever be
Our humanity, even though its ever so painful at times
My Friends
Bob Dylan

*open your hands if you want to be held*

Dear blog world, do you ever feel like everything you've ever hoped for is right in front of you and you're too chicken to do anything about it? Hmm. . .me too.

The past few weeks have been interesting. From saying goodbye to my sister temporarily, to Thanksgiving (which tends to be a very emotional reminder of how much I love my family), to becoming an aunt for the first time, its been quiet a roller coaster. I haven't really taken the time to process everything since finals immediately took over my life. Instead I've sort of escaped it all through my imagination and I've learned what a powerful gift that is. Miraculous openings have occurred and I've felt things I didn't think were possible. Now its time I just write.

There are hidden places of myself that are ready to come back. I think for a few years it was necessary for them to close, as a survival mechanism, but I'm starting to find a balance again. I I'm also starting to get it through my head that some practices are necessary to cultivate any opening. I now know who I need to be in order to be fully self-expressed so its just a matter of employing those things. Yoga, poetry, music and the people I love inspire me the most, so sharing from those places are key.

There is a poem by the great Jelaluddin Rumi that a friend recently shared to such a beautiful extent that it really got inside my head. Here are my favorite excerpts:

A Community of the Spirit

There is a community of the spirit.
Join it, and feel the delight
of walking in the noisy street
and being the noise.

Drink all your passion,
and be a disgrace.

Close both eyes
to see with the other eye.

Open your hands,
if you want to be held.

Sit down in the circle. . .

. . .Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking.
Live in silence.

Flow down and down in always

widening rings of being

You can read the whole poem here.

There are a lot of people I want to express appreciation to, so several of the next few posts might be about them individually. Hopefully they don't mind : ) Until then, a few songs that move me to tears. . .

River
by Joni Mitchell

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
I wish I had a river I could skate away on

Oh, I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river I could skate away on

updates

Well, I haven't posted in uh, forever. I'm sorry blog world. Life has just been really busy and I haven't had the internet at home for a bit. I actually have a big post planned, but until then, here are a few things I've been loving in the e-universe.

This planner from UPPERCASE. I'm pretty sure I'd use it religiously.

These are a dream come true. . .reusable food bags from Plum Creek Mercantile
This storage set-up from Baileys. Yes, I'm in *lust*

My new favorite website/shop, Hygge & West. There are too many products to post them all, so just visit their website : )

And last but not least, my website is fully up and running. I'm just working on the pricing page and then we're off and running. Check it out at www.angelarumel.com.