so long

Hey everyone~

It's officially the last day of April and I'm shocked that spring is nearly bygone. This post is basically an apology, mostly for the lack of writing anything this month and also a warning in advance that I might have to change my location...
In a nutshell I'm moving out to California, partly for the weather and mostly for the change. I'll be blogging on a more regular basis because my work schedule initially will be pretty free, and also because this is what I'd rather be doing!
On another note, I'll be adding a few travel essential tips in an update post later.
Forgive me for being MIA!
xoxo lea

oh and here's a photo of the flowers outside my street :)

'reservoir dogs'

The Four Point Restraints rock and reform insanity with their revving electric guitar solos, haunting vocals, and heart stopping bass lines. This Quincy local band comprises Evan Gadowski, Will Barry, Cat Verlicco, and Andy Connors. Their vintage sound mixes a punk rock drive and a steady macabre echoing a bit of the Velvet Underground, a bit of the Smiths; a bittersweet chaos united in Gadowski’s fervent, soulful lyrics. Their EP is set to drop later this month, so keep your eyes open for that as well as their upcoming shows-- they'll be playing at the Beachcomber 4/20 in Quincy and 5/5 Paul’s Pub in Methuen.








check out The Four Point Restraints:
http://www.facebook.com/thefourpointrestraints
http://www.reverbnation.com/thefourpointrestraints






photos from reverbnation.com

bridesmaids

So my best friends from high school came to visit me today for a very special occasion... one of us is getting married. (nopeee it's not me) I spent this morning cleaning the house and figuring out what to make for lunch since everyone would be driving into Boston.

Although this meal may not necessarily prevent wedding drama, you really can't go wrong with freshly made paninis served with a mint lemon iced green tea...

For the sandwiches:

Caprese.
serves 4

-3-4 baguettes or ciabatta loaves
-4 medium sized garden tomatoes
-fresh basil leaves
-1 mozzarella ball
-balsamic vinegar
-extra virgin olive oil

directions: Slice loaves lengthwise in half. Brush with balsamic and olive oil as desired. Slice tomatoes and mozzarella cheese into 1/4 slices. Arrange cheese and tomatoes on one half of baguette, add basil leaves. Slice sandwiches in half and serve.

Turkey-Avo-Swiss
serves 4

-4 pieces/loaves sourdough or ciabatta bread
-Russian/sundried tomato dressing (you can make this by hand or buy it...my version is an aioli with garlic and sundried tomato!)
-1/4 lb. Swiss cheese
-2 avocadoes
-1/4 lb. oven roasted turkey
-mixed spring greens

directions: Slice bread and spread with dressing. Top with swiss cheese, turkey, sliced tomatoes, and sliced avocado. Add greens as needed... One trick for pitting the avocado is to slice it first, then take a large, sharp knive and hit the pit in the center firmly. The knife lodges the pit and you can twist it out without messing up your avocado! (do not hit your hand though.)


mint & lemon iced tea:

-4 bags of favorite green/black tea (Twinings is pretty good for iced tea)
-honey
-1 lemon
-bunch of mint leaves
-ice

directions: Boil 4 quarts of water in kettle. Pour into serving pitcher, steep the tea bags for 8 minutes. Add honey as desired (I usually do about 3 tbsp. which is perfect so it's not overly sweet.) While tea is steeping, slice lemon into 1/4 in. slices and add to pitcher. Wash and pat dry the mint leaves, and add to the tea mix after the eight minutes is up. Add a couple cubes of ice as it's cooling to speed the process and prevent the mint from wilting. Chill before serving, and add more ice to your glasses!


photos to come...

la dilettante

I must have edited this post/blog a million times.

To be honest I have no intention of really becoming a fashion/art/beauty guru or a food critic... I just enjoy a lot of random things that may or may not have to do with one another. Most of all this blog is my fight against writer's block.

I tentatively staged this blog (and I say staged because it literally was just me filling in the blank computer screen so as to pass the time) when I was a senior in college. I'm definitely a person keen on producing meaning in objects, so my original attempt at blogging was a bit of a failure. My life is uninteresting sometimes--

Of course, the nature of blogging itself is a 'staged' process. From the indented margins to crazy, modernistic fonts, to various extravagant photo galleries that are dedicated to weaving a digital interface of human distractions...blogging is one of the reasons why print media is harder to digest, and what's more, harder to find.

They say talk is cheap. And yet that is why blogs work; in a sense we're talking all the time, to no one in particular about our secret lives and desires and escapes and don't necessarily have to own up to anything.

I guess that's why I'm writing this... to let you all know that I'm here to embellish another tangled web. Maybe it'll interest you, or maybe you'll find one that suits you better. In either case I felt like I should let you know.

Paris mini-diary

first days of the capital... complete with cafe mocha + crepe, baguettes, french fries, the Eiffel and a riverfront view.