this is how you lose her.

{i blame those annoying library dust jackets for how fuzzy the cover looks.}

so, junot diaz. i read his work in almost all of my intro-literature classes {yes, there were several of those suckers} and i can remember really caring a lot for his writing. he had a beautiful way of describing sadness. i decided to pick up this book after seeing it on at least four "must read" lists, and i definitely think it's a must read. it's a compilation of short stories about this boy, yunior, who came from the dominican republic to the united states when he was a boy. he has the most incredible voice. it's casual yet very smart and quick. he throws in some spanish slang and dirty words that only add to the thrill of reading this book. he grows up with a very interesting view on fidelity, or lack thereof. all of his mistakes eventually catch up to him, and the last chapter/story of the book is absolutely heartbreaking. it was definitely one of my favorites from the collection. i guess i'm a little biased because i tend to like short stories more than anything, but still. this is how you lose her is a great, fast read. plus, the cover art is cool. bonus points!

tiny texas trips.

{those are not my glasses, for the record. taylor and i just decided it felt like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters. thank you, taylor swift.}

i've been trying to make mini road trips to remind myself that there is life outside of temple, texas. it's kinda sad that i need those reminders, no? anyway. they've been pretty great little escapes. i went to austin this past week to see taylor and we did our thing on the east side, ate lots of good mexican food, and had our first chicken and waffle experience at 24 diner. it's right next door to waterloo records, so record browsing was a must. austin is good for records, you know. then i headed to waco over the weekend to see kaci and tad. it was basically full of scary movies and supernatural goodness, and of course pizza. while this post-grad transition is rather confusing, i will say that this part of being out of school and completely clueless is pretty great. i have this incredible freedom to drive my car anywhere and not worry about anything. i have a feeling that this freedom is pretty fleeting, but i'm definitely going to enjoy it while i can.

the paris wife.

i wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this one. i'd been somewhat aware of ernest hemingway's tumultuous love life before i picked up the book. i didn't really know much about the man, though, except that he had big spaces in his heart for spain and fishing. it was so, so interesting to see a part of this writer through the eyes of his first wife, hadley. albeit they were fictional eyes, the story was still told as accurate as possible. and what a story! i cried in the end, which isn't saying a lot because i cry at the end of nearly every book. it's weird, i know. but this one was worth a tear or two. anyway, i cannot get over how much i adored hadley's character. she was perfectly self-deprecating. she never felt as if she had a passion, except for ernest and her son, as ernest did for his work. i thought this part of her was so relatable. i mean, i don't have children, but sometimes it kills me that i don't have something that absolutely thrills me. she was sensible and plain, but loved her husband very much. from their courtship to their life in paris, it was all so captivating. of course, the love story turned sour and that's when the book became a little difficult to read. it was wildly uncomfortable to read about someone's heartbreak and marriage crumbling in such an absurd way. it was also a little heartbreaking to watch as hemingway slowly began to change from this charming young man into someone completely different. nonetheless, i still love the man. and i loved this book. i'm tempted to go back and read the beginning of the book and put it down before things have a chance to go bad because their love affair was so fascinating. i've been staying up late looking at old pictures of them and reading about their life together. i want to read everything i can by and about hemingway now. oh, and i want move to paris. the latter might not be so easy...;)
 

meet dixie.

i thought i'd take a moment to introduce dixie. she's just about the sweetest pup a girl could ask for. she's a blue heeler mix and two years old. she likes to play fetch almost as much as she likes to eat treats. she hasn't quite mastered the art of walking on a leash and sometimes sleeps on the covers so i spend the night freezing and uncomfortable. but i love her. oh, and i like her, too.

p.s.-a big thank you to the birthday girl {a.k.a. kaci} for snapping these shots this afternoon.

for winter ears.

cold weather mix. from kandeeflores on 8tracks Radio.

{image via imcomingcolrado.tumblr.com} 

i made a little playlist of songs that have been circulating my music library this month. my moods are pretty seasonal, so this dreary weather has made me a little... well, emo. good thing sad songs are sometimes the best songs.

1. this modern love-bloc party

2. land locked blues-bright eyes

3. norwegian wood (this bird has flown)-the beatles
4. i don't love anyone-belle & sebastian*
5. the dangling conversation-simon & garfunkel
6. don't think twice, it's alright-bob dylan
7. blue ridge mountaints-fleet foxes
8. ramblin' man-hank williams
9. acid tongue-jenny lewis
10. just one thing-my morning jacket

i didn't include this band on the playlist, but that's because i couldn't narrow it down to one song. the secret sisters' entire album is by far one of the loveliest things i've heard in awhile. it's perfect country music and i highly recommend giving them a listen.

*a few years ago, a boy told me this song reminded him of me. how sweet. at least it makes for a pretty nice winter jam.

indie game: the movie

i watched this last night. lately i've been straying quite a bit from films and leaning more toward television shows. there's just a greater feeling of investment in characters and plots when you see more than two hours of them, you know? now it sounds like my life revolves around television characters. anyway, i really miss watching and loving films. i decided to delve into the documentary section last night because i rarely browse that netflix field. i was pretty pleased with indie game: the movie. i'm not exactly a big gamer. my game days sorta ended with super nintendo. but i really, really enjoyed everything about this documentary. it was so interesting, partly because i had no idea about the indie game world or that it even existed. but the games actually seem a little awesome and i'm tempted to explore them a whole lot more. i also liked the idea of the indie concept. these game creators were so passionate about what they made and didn't feel the need to succumb to working for giant game corporations if their product went sour. they didn't make games for money or recognition, but because it was the only way they knew how to express themselves. ok, that sounded rather sappy, but the film was so fascinating and--here comes more sap--inspiring.