Oblation

Two posts in a week? Whaaaaat?
In honor of throwback thursday, I want to share a place I discovered while tramping around Portland last year. It's a little shop, hidden between offices and thrifty boutiques on a fairly empty side street, tucked away from much of the hubbub of downtown. As soon as I spotted the lettering on the window, my interest was piqued, and I had to step inside.

Oh, it was marvelous! All sorts of knick knacks and stationery organized just right for the compulsive mind. Feeling maybe a little giddy, I made sure to take a little peek around every last corner and came upon these:
I stood in front of them for maybe 5 minutes, gingerly pressing the buttons on each, hoping one would fit right with my fingertips and scheming how best to fit one in my bag for the return trip. Once I had come to the horrible conclusion that I would not be taking one of these beauties home with me, I had to tear myself away, and immediately found solace in these numbered organizers.

Surely, I could spare a little room for Boxes No. 1 & 2?

And maybe a few pens? It was Gelly roll heaven, I tell you. 9-year-old me would have been thrilled by the selection, and I must admit that 22-year-old me was pretty thrilled as well.
Needless to say, I left with a little spring in my step and a little light in the wallet. Thank you, Oblation, for making this trip just a little bit more special.

Mid-Summer Crises

I'm in strange place in life where my time here is certainly winding down, but the future is uncertain. Anxiety and ups-and-downs are the words of the month, but also a lot of fun has been had, seeing old friends and making new ones in this last hurrah. It's hard for me to always keep my self-esteem up and my attitude positive in times like these, but today I am ready to go, armed with a list I possibly spent too long making, but full of inspiration. Today, I'm going to make myself proud.

Now for a Brief Interruption

Confession: I haven't been reading lately.

I can barely make it through a Buzzfeed quiz some days, let alone a book.

In the time that my weird book-funk has been going on, I've started thinking of it as an illness, trying to self-diagnose with explanatory but wholly unhelpful articles and carrying a book around wherever I go with the hope that I will suddenly regain my capacity to read properly. But the fact seems to just be that I can't get into anything I've tried right now, because I can't pay attention for more than five minutes and I'm having a hard time prioritizing reading in any capacity.

I'm yearning for something not-depressing. The news, which is most of what I've been reading lately, is generally so frustrating that any little escape sounds like a paradise. Any suggestions?