new discovery: shoe thief

dolce vita

faryl robin

80%20

dolce vita

It's okay. I never really liked money anyway. I'll just have lots of shoes instead, thanks.

how to pack

As I may or may not have mentioned, I travel a lot. On top of that, I relocate a lot, which requires an entirely different packing mindset. I consider myself a bit of a pro.
So, without further hesitation, here is what I have to offer.

1. Make a list.
This is at least half the battle. This might be three quarters of the battle. It's also the easy part, because it's the part where you get to sit in your armchair and imagine all of the wonderful clothes you're going to wear on vacation.
I'm going to Bologna in a couple days for a six-week study abroad program. I looked up the standard summer weather in Bologna and it looks like it should be in the eighties most of the time. Luckily, it doesn't appear that Italians have any cultural conflicts with wearing shorts. My point is, doing your research is a good thing to do.

That's only a fraction of my packing list. If you want the whole thing, shoot me a comment, but here are the basics:

• Pack classic pieces. In my "nighttime" section, I've listed a little black dress and a little white dress. I can turn these two pieces into different versatile looks with accessories and such.
• Figure out how many days you think you'll go without doing laundry, and then add four. That's how much underwear you probably need (or maybe I'm just a lazy slug who can't get her laundry done in a timely manner).
• Shoes are great. Pack a bunch of them because they are great.
• Accessories are great too, because they can make your outfits look different when really you're wearing the same white shirt and jeans that you wore last wednesday. Today, you have a scarf! Also, they're generally pretty small and easy to pack. Don't bring your great grandmother's earrings that she wore at her wedding on vacation with you. Come on, guys. 

Once you have a list, you really just need to find the items that you plan on packing and put them in a bag!

2a. Plan what you're wearing when you travel.

Look up the weather both at departure and at arrival. Try to wear shoes that would take up a lot of space. And, of course, comfort is something to absolutely consider. I'll be taking a six hour train voyage, with two transfers, so I definitely need comfortable shoes.

2. Put the items in a bag.

This is the other little bit of the battle. This is the point at which I like to put loud music on and dance around. I also tend to make a mess and try things on and generally have a ball.

This wouldn't be much of a guide though if I just told you to "have a ball." There are, in fact, some tips that I have to share.

Start with shoes. This is generally the point at which I think, "Oh crap, I will be wearing only shoes for the next six weeks because there is basically no more room in my bag. What is this nonsense."
Don't fret! There's another step!

Put your clothes in the bag! Roll them up first -- it prevents wrinkles and creases and such. It also makes things smaller. Honestly, everything I pack always ends up wrinkled anyway but I rationalize this by saying "bah! I am travelling! I have no time to consider trifles like unwrinkled apparel!"

I also speak to myself in a british accent. That seems to help a lot.

3. Also pack other stuff.

I always wait to pack my toiletries until the morning I leave. Prescription medications are something you probably want to have, and even things like Advil can be good to pack if you're going abroad. You never know what the pharmacy of a new country will look like.

That's basically it! Make a list, have a ball, and put stuff in a bag! Bon voyage!

met her at a backyard block party by the bar

Let's play a game called "spot the new remote." Ten points if you find it! A thousand points if you find it in the last picture!

This is my ideal summer outfit, honestly. I feel like I woke up this way (and I almost did sleep in this sweater. It's fantastically cozy), but I also feel like the swiss are going to give me looks like "wtf is the American chick doing now?"
They give me those looks a lot, but I've gotten used to it.
Anyway, this is what I'm wearing today.

OUTFIT

Sweater - H&M

Shorts - Levi's

Headband - H&M

Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

Shoes - some outlet mall near Geneva

i wanna be forever young

Some disposables that may inspire you. Inspire you to do what? I don't know.

in order

Anine and Peter at a party

Christian being cool

Peter and I attempting a self-pic

the Swiss countryside

a highway on the French border

the crowds at Monte Carlo

underneath the bleachers

tech update (UPDATED)

I just installed Disqus. I was told that I could keep all the old comments but now they've disappeared like bats into the night.
Fear not! I am trying to get them back!

UPDATE: Apparently I was supposed to click "import comments" before I installed Disqus and erased all of the comments. My b. Sorry guys.

where in the world is carmen sandiego

I keep thinking, "one of these days I should probably explain where I live and why," but I keep putting it off because this is a somewhat complicated post to write.
Let me start here. That is my dog. His name is Chili. Behind him are some mountains. That is Switzerland. I live there.
Before you ask, no I don't speak German. I don't speak French either. Or Italian. Or Romansch (which is the fourth Swiss national language). I studied Latin in high school which turned out to be a bit of an impractical thing.

Let's rewind to February, 2009. I live just outside Washington DC, in a house five miles from the hospital where I was born. I'm seventeen, I'm a junior in high school, and I'm generally discontent with life as seventeen year olds tend to be. My parents sit me down and tell me that my dad is up for a job overseas, definitely in Europe, probably in Switzerland.
I, surprisingly, am psyched.

actually, i lived in an insane town where we had parades all the time

Yes, I love Washington. Whenever anyone asks me where I'm from, I tell them I'm from the DC area. Switzerland is an afterthought. But at the time, I wanted to get out. I imagined myself frolicking through Europe, singing on mountains, eating cheese all the time -- and all of those things eventually happened. While it was hard to leave my friends (and I definitely did have moments of what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here-send-me-home-please-now), going to Switzerland for senior year was great for me.

Now, I love Switzerland, but I don't love it enough to go to their one English language university in Lugano. So this fall, I packed my bags and traveled to yet another new home.

I've just finished my first year of university and I'm completely in love with the experience, the friends I've made, the classes I've taken... basically everything except the weather has completely thrilled me.  

So that's where I live, some of the time. 

To top things off, I'll be studying abroad in Bologna for the next six weeks (and hopefully blogging from there about the marvelous Italians and their style).

Essentially, that's where I live. I know, it's complicated. I don't even know what country I'm in half the time. It is what it is though, and I wouldn't change it.

new toys

I bought a remote for my camera today. It's basically hugely exciting for me.

OUTFIT

Jacket - Aeropostale

Tank - Delia's

Skirt - American Apparel

Shoes - Max's shoes