0 A song that makes me happy

You're not surprised, are you?

And other things to brighten your day, because it's cold where you are, and it's raining in Bergerac.


1. jen huang via 100 layer cake 2. samantha hahn via a subtle revelry 3. emmanuelle brisson via there is a monster in my head 4. abby powell of abby try again

1 Your Least Favorite Song

This is another tough one, because when you hear a song you hate, you try to forget about it as soon as possible. But I would say that I never turned the radio station so fast as when anything by Nickelback came on.



(Spanish subtitles included in case you're curious.)

0 30 Day Song Challenge

At my dad's suggestion - and in lieu of some photos that won't be posted on here for a little while - I'm going to do the 30 Day Song Challenge.

Day 1: Your Favorite Song


Although it's basically impossible for me to pick one song I love more than any other, this was the first one that came to mind. To fully appreciate it you also need to watch the first minute of the following video. It breaks my heart every time.

0 Lens error

Last weekend something funky happened to my lens and I had to send my camera in to be repaired. I feel like I'm missing a limb. The biggest bummer is that my travel plans are picking up soon: London next weekend, Madrid over April break. Keep your fingers crossed for a speedy repair.

But I wouldn't leave you empty-handed! You can watch me and Ben sing "When the Stars Go Blue" here.

image via we heart it

0 Bordeaux nights

I'm not leaving.

0 All my troubles in the rearview mirror

Ben and I performed at the open mic at Houses of Parliament in Bordeaux on Wednesday night, and at Plus que Parfait in Bergerac on Thursday. To start, here is a video from Wednesday night of us playing "Keep it There" by The Weepies. The sound quality is less than ideal, but I think you'll get the gist.

0 March, halfway

It's been a great month so far.


My Running Challenge hasn't been without hiccups - I've gone four times in the past six days. Yes, I've already broken my 6-day a week rule, but it's certainly an improvement from the one or two days a week I was doing before. Plus, forcing myself to run over the weekend in Bordeaux actually turned out to be amazing, as I went along the river and, for once, wasn't gawked at for running in France. On Friday it was sixty and sunny and I passed people sunning themselves on lounge chairs outside restaurants that faced the river. Now I know where my next beautiful-day lunch destination is.

It's hard to believe that my flight home to America is scheduled for less than two months from now, and that my best friend Laura, whose visit once seemed so far away, will be arriving in Bordeaux in three weeks. Now is the time that I'm becoming extremely envious of my English friends, who can stay in France visa-free, and can come and go between here and home affordably. The thought of leaving this country in seven weeks literally gives me a pit in my stomach, and I'm beginning to think of ways I can stay in Bordeaux this summer - ways that are both financially and legally viable. Wish me luck as I embark on my summer job hunt!

0 Forty days

Over February break, Celeste told me that she was giving up Facebook for Lent, which I thought was a fantastic idea. If I had to choose, I'd give up something food- or drink-related, as those are by far my biggest vices. But I'm not particularly religious, and I thought it would be wrong for me to give something up without taking the time to consider the meaning behind it.

That being said: I have, for personal and spiritual reasons, decided to embark on my own forty-day challenge. While giving up red wine, white bread, chocolate or any of the like would severely damage my enjoyment of my last two months in this wonderful country, I figure that adding some physical activity couldn't hurt. I can take my running sneakers with me anywhere, and I bet more exercise will make me feel great and make all those yummy French foods feel a bit less guilty. So I'm going to run everyday for the next seven weeks, taking off one day a week. The goal isn't to complete certain distances or times, but to pry my lazy butt out of bed, lace up my sneakers and get out there, even if it's only for twenty minutes. Wish me luck!


By the way, today was perfect. 60 and sunny again. I went to market, I played guitar outside, I watched Glee (really good episode, by the by), I cleaned and rearranged my room. Oh, spring: for you I am infinitely thankful.

1 Biarritz: The food edition

Did I mention that we ate like kings? Biarritz is in the Basque region and there is a ton of Spanish influence in everything, especially the food. The best meal by far was dinner on Friday night: tapas like mussels and octopus, and the best Sangria I've ever had. And being right on the water, it's needless to say that the seafood was outstanding.

Whole dorado with fried garlic, roasted red peppers, and parsley

Octopus with paprika and chives, sautéed in a red wine sauce

Tapas: mussels in white wine and garlic; octopus sautéed in olive oil, garlic and other various deliciousness; some sort of amazing buttery local ham with a piece of bruschetta in the middle; fried calamari strips with a tartar-like sauce; and the bombest of bomb sangria

All-star meat brochette (pork, chicken, duck and beef) with roasted vegetables, a baked potato with butter and chives, and salad with roasted red peppers

Not pictured: Prawns rolled in salmon with a sweet potato purée; seafood salad with smoked salmon, shrimp, fresh red peppers, and a creamy chive dressing; awesomely tender cheeseburgers dripping with a secret sauce (ordered from the kids' menu), and lots, lots of dry white wine

0 Travel light

When you travel, you have both limited space and a limited budget for new clothes. To say I'm tired of my clothes would be an understatement. But as the sun comes out and the weather turns warmer, I'm fantasizing about easy, breezy spring clothes: light-weight shorts and rompers, cotton tunics and dresses, and lace-up booties that look cute with all of the above.

1. Toast Chambray Shirt Dress 2. Toast Ankle Boot 3. ACNE Sensational Short

1. Heidi Merrick Painting Tunic 2. Lucca Couture Chiffon Scallop Short 3. Madewell Oxford Slingback

1. Madewell Music Hall Romper 2. Toast Linen/Cotton Button Front Pullover

2 Biarritz

I spent this past weekend in Biarritz, a seaside town in the very southwest of France. What started as a somewhat cloudy Friday turned into an ideal beach weekend - 60 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, without a cloud in the sky. I would love to go back one more time and take a surfing lesson. We may or may not have slept through ours on Saturday.

3 Resiliency

I got this flower at market on Saturday. It began to rain while I was in town, and on my walk home I discovered that the stem had snapped. But I put what survived in a small jar on my desk and it flourished and made me smile during an otherwise gloomy week.

0 "New Romantic" by Laura Marling

I was already loving this girl, and then she sang about Ryan Adams and I loved her even more.

via daily poetics

1 25 Pictures

I took this idea from Kate at For Me, For You.

1. Someone I spend a lot of time with


2. A picture of myself


3. A picture of someone in my family


4. A picture of something that makes me happy


5. An old picture of myself


6. A pictue of my sibling


7. A picture I never posted on my blog before


8. A picture of someone I miss


9. A relative of mine


10. A picture of my favorite place


11. A person I can tell everything


12. A picture of my everyday life


13. A picture from a place I love


14. A picture that reminds me of old times


15. A picture of friends from my childhood


16. An unusual picture


17. A picture of my spare time


18. A picture I'm satisfied with


19. A picture of the people closest to me


20. A person who's always there for me


21. A picture from a time in life I miss


22. A picture from last summer



23. Someone I'm always having fun with


24. A picture I always laugh about


25. The latest picture of myself