Fabulous and Opinionated

As the premier of Season 3 approaches, Mad Men fever is at high pitch. Thankfully, a pair of self described "bitchy, funny gay guys" who refer to their followers as "bitter kittens" delight in obsessing over fashion, television and style.

If you want spoilers, here's where to get them. Or, rent the DVDs, and read the commentary afterward! I promise the socio-political dialogue is extremely compelling, and their relationship with the costume designer for Mad Men provides invaluable insight into the characters and their motives.

As we while away the summer doldrums, thinking of nothing other than Mad Men, Tom and Lorenzo pick up their game and dissect each lead character and their personal style.

They also post pics of fabulous celebs in fabulous clothes and say what everyone else is thinking, but would never dare say out loud! Hooray internet!



screenshots from: Tom and Lorenzo

Ramona Falls

Watch for the Bike City PDX cameo!

Update: I am over the moon with this video, and song. Research has provided the following additional information:

Ramona Falls is named after founder Brent Knopf's childhood hiking trail near Mt. Hood. Now at the top of my summer adventures to-do list! Check out their website, so cute!

Backlog of Fun

I am overdue a flurry of blog posts, I have pictures queued up for miles!
Enjoy these amazing pictures from BikePortland.org featuring a killer bike ride up one of Portland's resident dormant volcanoes, and I will process my pictures sometime this week.

(that's me in the pink skirt and yellow pannier!)

We followed the big bright arrows

All the way to the top!

I made new friends (oh I how I love fellow bike nerds!)
Made it all the way to the top, without stopping! Many red faces greeted me with sweaty smiles.
Played my new ukulele.
Flopped around in several handstands.
Shared so many yummy foods in our celebratory potluck... a latecomer even brought shortcake with homemade strawberry-rhubarb sauce!!
We whizzed full speed down the mountain with the twinkling city lights in the distance.
Came down to earth, had a beer and glided home, back to bed for another day of bike mania fun.

When summer hits in Portland, b*tches go crazy!

Photos © BikePortland.org

Tutus on Parade

Pedalpalooza (2+ weeks of bikey fun including the WNBR) has begun.

Tonight, is a ride that speaks dearly to my heart. 

Tutu Food Cart Ride

Whyyyyy do I not own a tutu?! Has the 20-something (how many more years do I get to say that??) Alice lost touch with the 4 year old Alice? She would not overlook such an integral part of a lady's wardrobe.

 Adorable food carts, bikes, silly people... what else do you need in a Portland afternoon??

Perhaps skates?

images: tutu * food cart

Under the Sea

Oh to combine my long held love of frolicking underwater and new fascination with ukuleles! This vintage photograph reminds me of the lovely spring fed waters of Barton Springs Pool down in my homeland of Austin, TX.

A pink ukulele! What-the-what!! I did find a ukulele on craigslist in my price range (not to much for a brand new interest I dreamed up last night, all because of the girl below...)






I love guitars, music, and traveling. But guitars do not like my short, stubby fingers. And guitars are so big & bulky, taking up tons of space.... So here comes a ukulele to the rescue! Yay!

Ps when you started to read the post title, did this song pop in your head??



images via weheartit

Surf's up

So ready to hit the coast... see some sun and blue skies. I can't help but think of these images though, when I see our beautiful, clean sand. Clean water. Clean islands, beaches, animals.

Last weekend was a sunny, happy weekend, which I spent coughing, sneezing, and mouth breathing. I appreciated the opportunity to lay in my hammock and enjoy the yard, but sometimes you almost prefer rainy drizzily days when all you can do is curl up in bed. As it happens, my laptop is in the "shop" at Apple, getting a part replaced (thank you AppleCare!) so I was unable to blog, waste time on facebook, etc. I read a gigantic epic book (yes about dragons) and did some yoga homework. My third weekend of teacher training is coming up this Friday, hooray!

Fourth of July is just around the corner! I have two campsites reserved on the coast for all kinds of shenanigans. I didn't surf last summer, so I am definitely planning to take advantage of any opportunity this year! A friend recommended getting a lightweight wetsuit for the icy rivers up here, I love swimming so much, that is one of the things I truly miss about the South... warm, lazy rivers.

Image: Otter Rock, Oregon 2008

Let's Dance

Not many words lately.
Images inspire. Sitting bores.
Its camping season.
But the rains keep coming back.
Ch ch ch chia!

all you've got is this moment

Record Club: INXS "Need You Tonight" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Happy Friday, hope your weekend is summery, and fantastic. My plans include lots of yoga homework, yoga class and... bike riding as usual.


music via heartthrobs and villans

Noah's ark

naptime, originally uploaded by alice's adventures * funstuff & pretty things.

The Rose Festival is this weekend in Portland. I hope someone is planning a float with 2 of every animal and a man with a long white beard. If I was Noah, I would learn to knit. Such a lovely way to pass the time on a rainy day.

Phoebe is a champion napper. She took good care of T yesterday while he gathered his reserves and lined up the battalions to kick some head-cold butt. This weather sure isn't helping things. Doesn't look like much lawn mowing will be happening today though...

Weekend forecast: Sun! Perhaps that will help get the grain out of my crappy pictures.

burgers and knitting

First, there were these...

Rather than stocking up on strawberries or turnips, I filled my new bike basket with hostas!

Two varieties, much like the ones pictured above. The one on the left, more of a jade color, is called serenity, and has flower buds already! I bought it from a hilarious woman that runs the Think Unique garden stand at my local Hollywood Farmer's Market. Interesting post by fellow Portlander about the history of the Hollywood neighborhood in Portland.

Our apple tree is a sprawling, ancient tree that shades most of the yard. The backside has been hacked back for years it appears, allowing sunlight to find the raised garden beds. The small bed under the tree is empty, and now my new baby hostas and one shasta daisy have a new home. Though we are renting, we are planning another 12 months in the house, so I cannot resist my green thumb, and creating herb gardens, stone paths in our green utopia.

Then it was time for adventures outside of town, to take advantage of the first sunny day in weeks! Unfortunately our designated state park was closed (odd) so we found a nearby disc golf course (overrun by families, strollers and strange wandering people, unaware of discs hurtling at high speeds near their heads).

Naturally, I became bored/frustrated within 5 holes, and went to find my fellow slacker friend who had set up with a blanket and book in the sun while the boys competed for victory. My trusty hammock in tow, I found a shady spot (skin cancer is prevalent in my family) and worked on my latest knitting love.

This will be the second head scarf I am working on, the first is en route, perhaps delivered to my baby sister for her 25th bday! I love the pattern, easy to memorize, small project, quick results. Always a stunner!

Post-fun in the sun required some grilling outdoors, and Travis concocted a buffalo burger stuffed with herbed chevre, garlic and onions! Whoo-ee. The garlic scapes from the market (yes I did pick up a few edibles! cookies... ) grilled up perfectly.

Aaaaaand, Sunday was rainy lazy. I biked up to see Trav at his new gig at a neighborhood brewery, very delicious treats there. The bike ride was through some of my favorite neighborhoods as well as some new ones. I have some pictures of lovely amazing gardens from a walk earlier in the day that will come around here soon.

How was your weekend? There are such crazy different weather patterns all over the country right now, making such different experiences for everyone!

images: hostas, disc golf, head scarf, burger, garlic scape.

love rose love flower

Happy birthday baby sister! 25 years, making me feel old!

happy place

HOME

I can't help but get all giddy and happy when listening to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Watching their live performance confirms the happy goofy vibes I get from this song!

Here is the clear audio track of their song, but with no action.




I am dressed head to toe in rain repellent gear (stylish gear of course!) and fully prepared for a soggy farmer's market lunch. I hear Hood River strawberries are making an appearance.

In other news, Travis worked his first shift at Breakside Brewery last night AND signed up for a bicycle framebuilding class! I am so proud of that dude, he is my hero. xo

naturey crap

Now it is June, and the rainiest, coldest spring is still drizzling along.
Rain is beyond its green romantic stage. I can no longer defend the overcast skies with lush growth, because nothing wants to grow without sun!

Memorial Day gave us a brief break with sunshine and slight warmth. I weeded, fertilized, seeded some zinnias, wildflowers, and echinacea (coneflower). The wild roses had developed mold on the rosebuds and thorns, so I pruned the heck out of them, and chopped back the gigantic rosemary as well. Our zucchini sprouts are gaining height, and my mammoth sunflowers are trying to keep it up. C'mon summer!

For you:

Check out a new favorite photo set on flickr!

And here is my to-do list for my remaining (2) years of my twenties. But hey, they say 30s are the new twenties, right?! So I'll do a 180 and take a new step forward.

images via weheartit