Y’ALL.

I committed to a dissertation topic. I’m sure that only a tiny portion of you actually care about the minutia of our everyday, but to that portion, please know that THAT is how I have been spending my summer. The above collage of happy photos might paint an otherwise rosy picture of carefree summer days, and they are happy, but they have been fraught with lots caring, lots of reading, advise seeking, counsel-listening, tears, excited Googling… only to be followed with utter despair when I find that someone had the nerve to write a PERFECT book on EXACTLY what I wanted to do for my dissertation.

But at long last, I have an idea that I (and those close to me) can live with for the next couple years, one that will hopefully increase my future employability, and one that might have a tiny space left in it for me to carve out a relatively individual niche. Or so I hope.

This might not seem like much to you, but for a commitaphobe such as myself, this is a huge deal. I spent weeks waffling between two topics (different subjects, centuries, and approaches to literature), before intense meetings with my advisors and a decision. Should you care to join me on this dissertation journey, you would be spending the next 2-4 years (hoping for 2!) reading lots of 19th century French novels and reflecting on relationships between urbanization and identity….

…Annnnnddddd I can hear you all clicking “unfollow” all the way over here on this side of the internet. So instead, here are some other things I have been reading and loving, things more inclined to appeal to the masses.

Speaking of reading, if you watch this and don’t find it hysterical, we probably wouldn’t be friends in real life. Libraries! Parodies of pop songs! Harry Potter references!

There are lots of cool people in DC. I am not one of them. But! I do know a couple of them, including the fine ladies of Sweet Root Village — even having the distinction of getting to throw a baby shower with them (totally name dropping) — and they teamed up with some of the other Cool DC Elite to throw a pretty amazing dinner party.

In France, it gets really hot and there is no escape, but maybe that is ultimately a good thing? Note the question mark… I am skeptical, because I do love me some frigid window units blasting in my face.

Or maybe AC is just another sexist plot.

My favorite food blogger/writer turns out another beautiful post and tasty looking tart.

We are the selfie generation, and sometimes it gets downright existential.

This man and his airline thwarting skills, are FASCINATING.

I shared a photo here, but I am so obsessed that I am linking my new magic shampoo here too. Go harness the power of the ocean into your hair.

You know that you wanted famous cats from art history to pop up every time you opened a new tab. Thank you, oh Internet.

We are at that stage I hit at the end of every summer, where I am just tired of our little run-down apartment. I start dreaming of painting everything stark white like Megan and Mike did in their studio, and I start fortifying my soul for another year of small living by rereading this blog post with the cutest tiny apartment. Most days, I genuinely feel happy that we have less to clean and maintain… but some days I just want a big house with modern storm windows. And I want to spread this rug all over the middle of it, and lie upon it and gaze up at my freshly painted walls, unstained ceiling, and fall asleep to the gentle hum of central air.

But alas, those days are not today. Back to the books.