letterbyletter: composing life.

Bicycling in a pencil skirt (yes!)

letterbyletter — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:24:24 +0000

BBCx365

letterbyletter — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:54:23 +0000

A random googling and I stumbled over a recently started project by designer Johnny Selman. Motivated by his shock at Americans’ ignorance of current events and encouraged by a similar project he did earlier in the year, he’s started BBCx365, a year-long project to design a poster for one BBC headline everyday. The idea is to engage would-be news readers with a more visually engaging approach.

It’s an intriguing idea, and I look forward to following his venture over the next year.

Pretty kitty

letterbyletter — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:12:04 +0000

My (coffee) cup runneth over

letterbyletter — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:38:40 +0000

This morning, an angel in the form of the postman delivered an unexpected surprise from Tyler and Rachel.

Ohmygoodness. Coffee. Rich, chocolatey, smooth coffee.

Ten short minutes after opening the package, Zack and I transformed this

into a delicious this.

Embracing the inner tourist

letterbyletter — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:14:24 +0000

A few weekends ago, with proof of Cambridge residence in hand to gain free admission, we set out for a few self-guided tours of surrounding colleges.

Standing in the middle of a chapel where construction started in 1446, it’s impossible not to be a “tourist.” (I mean, the King’s College Chapel organ contains Henry VIII’s initials!) So we went with it. But I’ll spare you the hundreds of photos I took, and just share a few from King’s College Chapel and Trinity College Chapel.

We’ve arrived

letterbyletter — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:56:43 +0000

Exactly one week ago (nearly to the minute) we walked into our new home in Cambridge. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of the mundane and the new, with a bit of drama thrown in for good measure.

Our flat is perfectly situated with a three-minute walk to the hustle and bustle of the town centre, a seven-minute walk to Zack’s school and a two-minute walk to the park Christ’s Pieces.

Over the past week we’ve spent our days getting necessary items for the flat, typing up loose ends in Seattle and learning the layout of the city (something Zack has grasped far better than I).

Ever stressed, Ichabod has not been adjusting as well as his owners, and on Thursday afternoon, he disappeared. We guessed that he had managed to fit himself into a small crawlspace in the bathroom wall, but we weren’t sure if he was wandering around the interior walls of our own apartment or the building at large. Frankly, we were afraid we’d seen the last of him.

About 3am Friday morning, we heard him meowing from the walls and a couple of hours later he finally crawled out. Not before, however, we had tried and failed to take the paneling off the bathtub (with the landlord’s permission, of course). Ichy was rewarded for showing back up with a thorough bath, and he’s spent the rest of the week pouting and hiding in the closet.

Ichabod aside, we are starting to feel more settled. Pictures of our place are still forthcoming, since we are still living without furniture, but here are few iPhone pics from our short excursions.

King's College is a few minutes walk away.

Across from King's College, we found a vegetarian restaurant with tasty food!

We went for a walk yesterday on Jesus Green, where Zack headed right to the grazing cows.

Zack wanted me to pose with the cows, too.

In others’ words

letterbyletter — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:12:22 +0000

Thoughts and snippets running through my head.

George Rouault, Il Arrive Parfois Que La Route Soit Belle (It happens, sometimes, that the way is beautiful)

. . . .

Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night’s repose. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Village Blacksmith”

. . . .

I would like to step out of my heart
and go walking beneath the enormous sky.
I would like to pray. -Ranier Maria Rilke, “Lament”

Zack gets an iPad

letterbyletter — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:02:54 +0000

And I have the animated gif to prove it.

[Happy birthday, Zack.]

While we waited a bronto died

letterbyletter — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:54:05 +0000

Last night at The Triple Door, while waiting for the genius Rafael Anton Irisarri, aka “The Sight Below,” (he did a breathtaking version of Arvo Pärt’s Für Alina) and the equally inspired Jóhann Jóhannsson, Zack and I did a little comic jam.

An evening Alki stroll

letterbyletter — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:22:38 +0000

It was such a gorgeous day in Seattle yesterday. Too bad most of it was spent indoors organizing our closet and paring down clothes. But in the evening, we did get an evening walk along Alki Beach.