Zoom Zoom, Bitches.

***DISCLAIMER:  Before I go into the details of my new fancy car, I feel like this post needs a disclaimer about what it took to get to this point.  For one, I've been driving the same 1997 Toyota Corolla since my senior year of high school (I'm almost 28 years old).  I've avoided having a car payment for over 10 years and instead of throwing that money around, I saved it.  I've been working my FACE off since (even before) graduating college and climbed the ranks steadily in my industry since beginning.  It took a lot of painful hours of hard work and tons of discipline to be able to get where I am today financially, but the day has come for me to finally see the payoff.  I'm not spoiled in the least.  No one gave me a red cent towards this car.  This is purely a reward as a result of patience and hard work.  


Sorry.  You see, I have this brat complex because I like nice things and people give me shit for having them (i.e. my Marc Jacobs bag.  People assume some sugar daddy or my parents or someone bought it for me because I'm some spoiled bitch, when in fact it was a present to myself for quitting smoking (used the money I saved from not buying cigarettes).  I've always been very good with my money, so when I splurge and get judged, it really bothers me.***

Anyhoo, onto the important part of the post!!

My sexy new Mazda3 s Grand Touring.  I mean, talk about the difference between night and day...  My Corolla was as basic as basic could be.  Power windows and locks were its fanciest feature.  I've never had a keyless entry remote.  I've never been able to unlock my car unless I was touching it.  So, let's put it this way--  While pulling out of the dealership yesterday, my sunroof was open, heated leather seats were on, Bose surround sound system was cranking my Pandora station from my iphone wirelessly... up until I decided to call my mom...  THROUGH THE CAR.  Hands-free, indeed.  The bluetooth technology is insane.  My car talks to me.  It's beautiful.  Just beautiful.


And as far as driving it goes--  it's so smooth and quiet and handles beautifully and if I need to speed up to pass someone for any reason, I actually CAN.  It has 167-hp which comes in handy and some sexy "feets" - 17" aluminum alloy wheels.

My little Corolla did it's job.  It was a great car for me and I am so grateful to my parents for planting that foundation for me when I was young.  Not only the car itself, but teaching me how to (and how important it was to) manage my funds and to set perfect examples of extraordinary work ethic and how to earn my keep.  I'm lucky to have had such wonderful parents.

As my mom pointed out, that Corolla took me through high school, college and my first "real jobs".  I'm excited to see the new adventures that lie ahead for me and my new baby...  who has already been deemed, "Black Betty" (hence the tune).

Sitting in Hartford 4/27/11

RAM-A-LAM!

xo,
Rachael

The Bird's Nest: Round 2 - Bath

Adriana shower curtain by Badgley Mischka

Before our first visitor to the new apartment (ELI!!!) came in from California, I wanted two things to be done.  I wanted a new couch (check) and a shower curtain.  Luckily, the curtain came in a few days before Eli arrived, so I won!  (Here's the curtain(s) we went with, Sophie.)

Our tub is basically like a free-standing tub that's against the wall, if that makes any sense-- so we had to get two curtains to cover it all.  It's got a victorian type pattern, so the accent I went with was a deep red for the mats.  I FINALLY ordered a bunch of Killhouettes that I plan on hanging in there.  We already bought the frames for them, now just waiting on delivery.  :)

We went to Target and Bed Bath and Beyond for toothbrush holders, but found nothing we liked, so while going through our glasses to find a pint glass to use temporarily, I saw my brass knuckle coffee mug that the lovely Emily (Clinton) Martin sent me in CT.  :-D  It's PERFECT and this way, I get to see it every day.

I'm really enjoying being here in this apartment.  It's just fun to slowly piece it together.  Dan came home with cool gray picture frames today from Target that I'll be adding to the gray/yellow living room decor.  He also bought a ton of frames for all those awesome prints he got from Print Mafia.  I can't wait til we get all the artwork on the walls.  It's odd having bare walls, now.

Brass knuckle coffee mug/toothbrush holder

Aside from the decor updates, the only other updates I have are that I finally caved and tried on of those UV gel manicures...  So far it's staying on pretty damn well.  I've had it since Friday evening and I do have 3 chips, but they're tiny.  Nothing like the normal paint, and to be fair, I did do some scrubbing and cleaning and moving boxes Friday night preparing for Eli's visit...  I'll keep you updated on how long it lasts and if it was worth the (doubled!) price tag.

Aaaaand that I plan on doing a little car shopping very soon.  (Probably do some test-driving this weekend).  Very exciting and very scary, but it needs to be done, dammit.

I wish Eli didn't have to go back to California.  I miss him so fucking much...  He's such a good friend.  I'm so glad I ever got to meet him.  He's one of those rare gems.  He will always be a bestie.

Anyhoo, gearing up for another work-crazed week.  Hoping it goes semi-smoothly...  Stress hasn't been setting well with me lately... Hope everyone else is stress-free and calm.

xo,
Rachael

P.S.
I'm thanking Pandora once again for the song I've added for this post, "If Ever There's A Reason" by Derby.  I'm into catchy folky shit right now.  I don't know why.  It just makes me happy.  So there.

The Bird's Nest: Round 1

I know I've been posting non-stop about my new apartment and it's not going to end anytime soon...  I really adore it and I love it more and more every time I get one more piece for it or find one new detail in the 1930's architecture of it like the coffered ceiling or the sweet bathroom mirror/medicine cabinet.

Our new couch arrived on Saturday.  We finally bit the bullet and went with a beautiful sectional from Raymour & Flanigan.  If you're ever in the market for some sweet furniture that will last you a good 10 years, and you happen to be in CT, I highly suggest visiting Darrin at R&F.  He's honestly a huge part of the reason we went with them and this couch.  Not only is the couch amazing and sexy and comfy, but the salesman was the nicest guy ever and really hooked us up.  The couch was double what we set out to pay, but after the multiple rounds at several different furniture shops and the insane characters we encountered, we wanted to give our money to Darrin.  I kid you not-- one saleswoman looked like a sad 60+ year old muppet who had smoked and tanned every day of her entire life and had her wrinkled, saggy, tits almost entirely hanging out of her way-too-low-cut shirt with a cleavage that looked like a crater had landed there...  She proceeded to tell us about her fiancee and her fashion and interior design preferences without smiling once...  The longer the muppet ran on, and the more I looked at the couch we originally liked when we saw it upon entering that store, the more the couch turned into a shitty, cheap, crushed velvet lounge sofa (not in the good way) that would be living in a trailer in Nowhere, West Virginia.

Knowing I'm doing the living room in gray and yellow, my parents sent us a massive and beautiful arrangement of tulips, bells of ireland and fantailed pussy willows intertwined.  It really makes me want to keep fresh flowers around all the time...  I'm not naive enough to believe I'll ever keep that up...

And our sunroom is just awesome.  I have no idea what I'll end up doing with it, yet, but for now we have some chairs in there that make it a nice little escape from TV.

I also finally hung my birdcage curtains in our kitchen.  I love them.  Everything about the apartment so far has just been awesome.  Ikea was good to us (as always) and I see many more trips in my future.  :)

Things are looking up at the LampShaw Homestead (That's it's foursquare name...  "square" is right...)  Decor is in full effect.

Aside from all the money I've been spending making our apartment beautiful, I have been doing some other retail therapy which will probably be what my next post is about...  Presents for myself, and presents for others.  Sometimes, ya just gotta buy shit that's pretty, dammit.

xo,
Rachael

P.S.
Sorry...  I realized that every so often, it makes me REALLY happy to sing as LOUD as possible to Dashboard Confessional while driving...  I did this recently, so that's why the song made the playlist for the post.  It just makes me damn happy...

WANTED: Friend (possibly of the furry persuasion..)

I think I’m well on my way to becoming a crazy cat lady.  Am I allergic to cats?  Why, yes.  I am.  But you know what?  I never have had a cat turn their back on me.  Miss Kitty was my greatest companion.  She got me through some of the darkest times in my life.  She actually was around for every single relationship I’ve ever had.  She was always there if I was upset and wouldn’t leave my side until I was better and my tears had dried.  She was insanely sensitive and compassionate, which I know to a lot of people sounds stupid or insane, but it was true.  Ask any of my family members.  I miss her to pieces.  It’s really hard for me to talk about her because of how much she really meant to me.  I know finding another cat like her will be hard and probably near impossible, but I’d like to try. 

Miss Kitty - The most amazing cat who ever was.

I get lonely.  I completely understand the need for companionship now that I’ve moved and my only best friends are 5 hours away.  I talk to my two best friends daily via the internets, but I don’t get to go hang out with them regularly or grab dinner or drinks or go get my nails done with them or hang in with a bottle of wine and watch a movie.  I do these things with Dan daily (not the bottle of wine), but friendship and companionship other than your relationship is necessary (as I’m definitely feeling tonight).

Scottish Fold kitty

Part of me is incredibly depressed about recent happenings (and by recent, I mean months of building and a few days of imploding).  I’m really sad that friends I thought I had been there for have seemingly disappeared or neglected to keep in touch or worry about my wellbeing or be there for me in my times of need (which I’ve had lots of since moving).  And part of me is glad to finally be aware that there are people I simply can’t rely on so I don’t continue to get my feelings hurt or hopes up.  And by the same token, I’m happy to know that I do have a couple of friends who have become even closer and more supportive of me since I’ve made the move out to Connecticut.  It’s an odd place to be in.  It’s an odd mix of emotions.  It’s me being down and wounded and incredibly hurt, but then that “force the glass to be half-full” part of me kicks in and thinks about the silver lining…  Look at the friends you do have that are incredible and send you letters in the mail just because or drove from Ohio or Pennsylvania to come see you because they simply missed you, or who make it a point to ask me daily or weekly how the fuck I’m doing up here…  Those people are important and those seemingly simple instances are beyond important to me.  They are the only things that keep me going sometimes.

Another Scottish Fold

My mother has always said that a relationship should be icing on the cake—not the whole cake, and she’s right.  My relationship is amazing and I’m incredibly thankful for Dan and he is easily my best friend.  But a life should be well rounded and balanced.  I’m still struggling to find that balance up here, I guess. 

Back to the cat thing…  Wednesday, I finally bought a new couch…  My first REAL grown up purchase (I’m still driving the car I drove in high school).  I don’t think I could have a cat de-clawed…  and that couch was not cheap… 

Any other pet ideas?  Dogs are too needy and rats don’t care all that much when I’m down and out…  Hmmm…

xoxo,

Rachael

P.S.  I'm obsessed with Scottish Fold kitties.  They look like little owls.  Don't you think adding them to this slightly depressing post brightens everything right up??  I may do this more often in the future.  ;-)