...Said Mary

to-read list

July 31, 2015

Let’s be honest here, I unflinchingly, undoubtedly have a pile of books that have been on the back burner a hundred high. More realistically speaking, more than that. So, with my influx of time before I head back to school for the fall season, I am making it a mission of mine to cross a few off the list, instead of helplessly watching my brain turn into sludge incapable of holding a pencil come school.

The series I am kicking this off with actually came as a happy accident. Someone actually gave a beautiful, well kept, hardcover copy of Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger (Wow it sounds like a bad horror movie series but trust me it’s amazing) to Goodwill. So, naturally I made the 60 cent purchase and was happy on my way. But, obviously I had to read the first book in the series The Devil Wears Prada and with the audiobook and 3 days of fervent listening later I am excited and ready to start the second.

The Second series I am embarking on is The Carrie Diaries series by Candace Bushnell. This is really anticipated read for me as I am an avid fan of the show, (curse the CW for cancelling it) but surprisingly the book is starkly different than the TV show. Although, I do love the TV adaptation better, (something almost never said) the book still holds its own in my heart.

Next I have Looking for Alaska to tuck into by John Green. As a fan of his work this is the only other book of his I haven’t read other than Let it Snow which I will probably read once the weather outdoors is fitting to the title of the book.

To all the Boys I’ve Loved before is an amazing book {with a beautiful cover} I will actually be rereading so that I can read the second P.S I Still love you that came out earlier this year. This book was such a nice, cute short read. I actually binge read this book in 24 hours the first time {I actually had all my electronics confiscated} and I’m excited to re-read the book and follow it up with the second because the end of the first really leaves you wanting more of the characters and closure, I guess, of what happens next even though you can really tell from how the story ends.

I have a strange affinity for the Persephone greek tale. I have read and re-read so many different adaptations of the story and will probably continue to find and read more. one that I love and am re-reading so that I can read the other books in the series is The Goddess Test . I am absolutely smitten with this book series and am excited to finally get to read all of them soon.

These are all the books I will be beginning soon and I hope you get some inspiration from my short list. Thank you for reading!!

Said Mary

routine

My Packing Routine

July 28, 2015

Summer in itself is pretty much synonymous with vacationing, obviously the best part of summer. But, also in the web of words vacationing comes pretty close to airports and flying which can be a cause of stress very easily. There are some ways that can make traveling easier on anyone, so this is how I travel.

Pre Packing

List making. Before I travel in my prepping process I pretty much live by lists. I had just about 3 or 4 for this trip alone but, they really do help with everything. Lists I made were an overall to do list, which I do most days anyway, a list of clothes to pack, and a list of carry on things. Having a list of clothes I am packing, or have packed is really helpful because I can see very easily what I actually will have in my suitcase and what is excess and how I can pair things together for outfits.

Actual Packing

The worst part of traveling to me would be packing and my biggest thing on that is to ROLL. I roll pretty much everything before I put it in my suitcase except, for things like cardigans, and sweaters because they actually take up more space rolled. One of the most important things when traveling to me is that my babies travel WITH me. I would probably never check my laptop, or camera, or anything quite delicate that would be a bigger problem if broken or lost. Airport staff are not exactly the gentlest with your luggage{and I can see why,they're pretty busy people}, and I got personal experience with this when a mini rice cooker (my family cooks on vacation, does yours?) was fairly well beaten up and almost falling apart after being checked in a suitcase.

These are the things I like to keep with me along with my laptop, to keep me entertained or so I can get things done while in the airport. I like to have pencils or pens, a journal {I actually only took the grey journal because I realized I was overpacking}, a book, my camera and lens, headphones, spare glasses, my phone, a water bottle, and nail polish {obviously not to use at the airport}.

Travel Outfit of the Day

When I travel I like to be comfortable, which you have to be to sit in one place for an extended period of time and airplanes and airports are always cold for me. So, I wore a simple tank top and leggings with a cardigan even though I was going to florida because the cardigan was too big to pack and I was cold plus I can carry the cardigan if I felt like taking it off. For shoes I wore ankle boots because they’re also the biggest shoes I wanted with me.

Thank you for reading

Mary

music

Music Monday

June 29, 2015

Hello!

To sell things short Alessia Cara is amazing. From when she started on youtube with her insane bedroom covers, to her first single, she has always been amazing and I can’t help but feel proud of her getting the recognition that she so well deserves. Her sound is amazing and I adore her so here is Alessia Cara.

Sweater Weather- The Neighborhood Alessia Cover

The first cover of hers I found

Here - Alessia Cara

Her first single!

Yours, Mary

Honesty I'd rather be somewhere with my people, we can kick it and just listen to some music with a message, and we'll discuss our big dreams, how we plan, to take over the planet.

chat

Perception - Chat #2

June 23, 2015

Hello,

It’s 1:07 am on June 19.

This is Chat #2. Reprise of Chat #1 .

A thought that always comes about at this hour is the idea of comparativeness. Since I really should be sleeping, like my family is doing, I am alone. With solitude comes silence, a thing very easily broken . When you’re alone you become really aware of the sound you make. Usually in the context of dropping something loud or ‘When did all the appliances in this bathroom get so loud?’ Compared to the silence of the dozing house the staple sounds of your existence are giantesque. There’s something about that that is really pretty.

This thought on comparison also is applied to actual living hours as I’ve noticed. Major examples of this are people and insecurities. Insecurities, in my experience feel like these huge things. It feels like if I had noticed this thing, everyone else must have also. They are all hung up over that fact, just as I am, and think less of me because of it. Every single person. I’m speaking grand scale, everyone hates me.

They don’t.

That teeny little imperfection is that creak in the floor at midnight. In the small space we have, our own brainspace, that one thing is the equivalent of a personal tornado siren. But set to scale of what is actually going on in life,the loudness and weight of life and reality, that imperfection is still the creak of the floor. The creak would never actually be noticed, except for by the stillness of night, the stillness of your consciousness. Don’t stress too much about insecurities, you’re fine darling.

Yours, Mary

"The axe forgets; the tree remembers.

random

A Roadtrip Montage

April 12, 2015

Let’s set the scene for this blog post. You’re in the car with your family, them lulled to sleep by the movements. You sit comfortably seated and reclined in the shotgun seat, swaddled up in a blanket . In front of you, you can see the light rain grazing the windshield, and hear that rain along with the methodic swish, push, of the windshield wipers. Beyond the windshield, watch miles, and hours worth of cleared roads and fog dusted mountains cradling them. This was the scene driving home from vacation. Personally this scene is the perfect equilibrium of melancholy and gloom to accompany the drive home from a nice vacation, complete with beautiful sights and scenes of a mountain lazily rising for early morning.