Past, Present, Future (Readings)

Print will always have a place in history, but it has a special place in my heart as well. I know I'm not alone in liking the smell of a bookstore and the crunch of a book when you open it for the first time. Scribbling notes in books wasn't just something I did for the entirety of my college career either. Today, I find that I would rather hunt down a tangible book verses an e reader of some sort. 

Here are three different readings - none of which are groundbreaking or heavy in existential topics (but I suppose you could argue this). I am far too late in the reading of The Alchemist, but that's next on my list. Currently I'm in the process of reading The Girl on the Train for fun. I have read and reread The Life-Changing Magic of Tiding Up and will continue to revisit it when things in my life get too cluttered because it truly has been helpful. 

This is by no means a book club or some women's circle, but if you have a novel or piece of parchment you're reading do share. I can speak for 2 out of 3 here and say I genuinely enjoy these. They're not very acedemic, per say, but that's for another day. 

-CS

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Girl on the Train

The Alchemist

Hello, Pope

When traveling there are moments when things seem to happen just at the right time. A sunset on a beach you just happened to stumble upon, a flight on sale just when you get paid time off, a mountain top vacant of other tourists just so you can have a quiet moment to yourself. You get the point.

Luckily, I have had a great number of these moments. In 2009 I had a particularly special time in the Vatican. As you leave The Sistine Chapel there is a hallway that you turn down before you head into the rest of the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. In that said hallway there is a secret door - and I mean a literal secret door that blends into the wall. Just as I passed it someone was coming out and the guide that I was with explained that the opening of said door "never happens" and leads to the Popes quarters. So naturally I had craned my neck as far as I could to see if I could catch a glimpse of the guy. 

I would love to hear about these moments that you may have had. However fleeting, rare, or maybe just a simple moment in day-to-day routine, I find that these give life a little extra something. 

-CS

Below I have linked some travel items you may need if you're crossing the sea or state lines. I also included a map that I love - you scratch off the locations that you've been for when you get back Click the links if you're interested!

P.S You can shop my prints online! Custom orders are always welcome - you can shop here for new art. Thank you!

The Last Rainforest

From time to time I get a little nostalgic and this isn't really a secret. In the past, I have been known to ramble on about things from my childhood or just a few months past that seemed like a lifetime ago. However, there has been something on my brain lately that I can't quite let go of. 

FernGully. 

This movie changed my life when I was younger. Not only was I fascinated by the fairies and terrified by the black smog, but it really changed and enhanced the way I felt about the environment. I watched this movie so many times and let my imagination carry over into reality. I spent a lot of time outside wandering about, but this movie was another cog to the machine that drove my love for my surroundings and the world at large. 

So before I keep droning on about sweet times of my youth I want to take a moment to apply this to real life. Think about the environment today and the state that we're in. This movie can really shed a light on what we deal with today. Destruction, absentmindedness, and lack of care never turns out well when humans interact with mother nature.

I invite you to watch it and let me know what you think. I'd be interested to see if anyone else remembers this movie or is inspired yet again today through watching it. 

Enjoy - click the image to go check it out if you'd like.

-CS