Oh hello, rooftop deck!

Thursday’s Things

I can’t believe that moving day is finally here. Beacon Hill, here we come! I can’t wait to share our new neighborhood and place with you. Two words: rooftop deck.

Before I sign off for the weekend (besides Instagram), here’s a regular Thursday’s Things to give you a few interesting tidbits to read, look at and think about today.

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Imagine

1. Imagine that you were staying for a few weeks in Greece, in Ikaria to be exact. Well, that’s just what Sarah Wilson, an Australian media personality, journalist and blogger got to do. Read one of her takeaways from her stay here. A lesson on “taking time.” It was fascinating to me to read through her posts about Greece and the way people live and eat there (especially in Ikaria). Makes me want to travel….

Think

1. Do we live in a Surveillance State? Take a look and tell me what you think. This paragraph gave me the shivers: ”Under current law, it isn’t allowed to monitor the communications of an American citizen or permanent resident without a court order. But it can collect data if one party to a communication is believed to be outside the United States. Recently, the office of the director of national intelligence admitted that on at least one occasion, the procedures that shield citizens’ and legal residents’ private information from spying eyes had been deemed “unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment” by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees such monitoring.” Does this make you nervous? Or are you not surprised?

2. There are more risks passed on by an older mother to her child than the father, right? Not necessarily, according to this new study. Although folks tend to joke that men can father children almost indefinitely and that women shouldn’t try to conceive later in life due to increased risks to the child, that may not be the case. “It also found that while a 20-year-old dad passes on an average of 25 new genetic spelling errors to his child, a father twice his age transmits about 65. Thus, every additional year of paternal age results in an average of two extra mutations in offspring. A mother, meanwhile, transmits a constant rate of about 14 de novo errors to a child, regardless of her age.” Interesting, huh?

Dream

1. As you know from my Instagram posts, I’ve been stocking up on library books lately. I can’t help it! I see books that strike me on other blogs, NPR, or just browsing through the catalog, and before I know it, I’ve reserved it and I’m picking it up the next day! I have a stack of 5 now. I love having stacks of books, don’t you? I’m reading The Alchemist now by Paulo Coelho. I remember maybe reading it years ago, but I don’t have distinct memories of it. It’s definitely captured me now. Have you read it? What did you think of it?

“Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives.”

Do you remember what your Personal Legend was? Or is? I’ve been thinking a lot lately about mine.

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Wishing you all a fabulous Labor Day weekend! See you next week.

It's moving day!

Running Around…

Like a chicken with my head cut off, as my mom likes to say.

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Folks, this week is wild. Things are busy and all over the place. We’re moving tomorrow–exciting, but I have a million things on my to-do list. I’ll be here with a regular Thursday’s Things tomorrow, but will be away for the weekend to settle into the new place.

Details & photos to come soon. I’ll no doubt be posting on Instagram all weekend. Follow me there to see all the happenings. Username: tmerck.

Back soon!

- T

One bike. One man. FIVE chihuahuas. Three in the front basket. Two in the back. What??

It’s Me! It’s Me! It’s Me!

! 2,974 comments.

Almost 3,000 entries to win Bri & Angela’s amazing contest. I’m sure you remember (it was only yesterday) that I told you that I had entered to win the Big Time Giveaway on designlovefest.

A comment. Tweets. Facebook likes & comments. I covered the bases. But that wasn’t enough. I knew it. I had to do something to stand out from the crowd. So I did. You saw it. With the help of a certain supportive guy in my life, I went on a video quest to win the contest and get to Blogshop.

I uploaded the video, sent it out into the interwebs to Bri and Angela, and hoped for the best. Needless to say, I’ve spent the last two days fighting these thoughts. I have a 1 in 3,000 chance of winning.

It’s virtually impossible. There is no way it’s going to be me.

I spent most of this morning arguing with myself in my cubicle and refreshing designlovefest over and over (even though I knew it wouldn’t be announced till 1pm).

And suddenly it was 1pm eastern. 10am pacific.

I typed “designlovefest.com” in Chrome. Nothing. The Database had failed. My nerves were about shot at this point.

Refresh.

A new post. A style post. Bri mentioned a new style post on Instagram the other day. This was expected. So I read through. Gorgeous shots. Amazing to see the way certain fabrics look under water. And then I saw it. At the bottom of the post.

“You win, Taylor!”

What? Is it me? There were tons of Taylors on the comments; it could be anyone. 

It wasn’t just anyone.

It was ME. I won! I won! I won!

“and last but not least, the winner of the massive giveaway! taylor went out of her way and made this adorable video in addition to entering our contest. our whole team just loved it. congrats taylor m., we can’t wait to send you all of your gifts and see you at blogshop!”

I’ve spent the last hour dancing around the office and telling all the sweet folks on my team who will listen… I won! My boss even watched the video.

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Thank you, Bri, Angela, and the rest of the Blogshop team! From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. I can’t wait to meet you at Blogshop soon.

Ritual. A cuppa and a few more library books.

[Video] The Quest to get to Blogshop

Dear readers,

I’ve been dreaming about something for quite a while. It’s a frequent topic of conversation between A. and I. “I have to try to get to this one day. [As a recent grad], can I figure out the finances? This is just what I need for my blog. For me.”

“We’ll get you there, Tay,” he always says. “Someday.”

What is it? Only the best thing since college… Blogshop. A two-day Photoshop and blogging class taught by designer Bri Emery and photographer Angela Kohler.

I’ve got a blog. A domain. A few posts. But I need more heart. More soul. An inspiring vein that runs through my blog and challenges people to think, to see beauty, or just to laugh. Bri and Angela don’t just teach mechanics. They inspire and send out students with a fire in their souls. They ignite the spark that gives students a feel for how to blog, and through that, be the best they can be. It’s an opportunity that I’ve only dreamt of… until last week.

Last Tuesday, Bri posted the Big Time Giveaway on her blog (I read it daily!). I’ve spent the whole week mulling over it. Whoever wins gets a free pass to Blogshop, plus too many fantastic gifts to name. The opportunity is too wonderful to pass by. I entered immediately: I submitted a comment on the giveaway post about why I should go. I tweeted. I commented on Facebook. But that wasn’t enough for something I want so badly.

So here’s a little video to show just how much I want this. It’s only 60 seconds (without outtakes!). For a laugh, be sure and watch till the end. A. made sure to get all my best sides.

Blogshop from Taylor Merck on Vimeo.

Wishing you all an inspired Monday.

- T

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Curious to know how it turned out?? Head over here to find out.

Sunday brunch: empanadas, fried plantains, & of course, a mimosa.

Flashback Friday: My First Visit to Boston

Three years ago, I found myself on a plane (for the first time in a long time) on my way to Boston to see my guy.

A. met me at the airport and whisked me away to the “T,” the public transit system here in Boston. I was terribly nervous. He was excited–reciting T information to me as it went in one ear and out the other. “We just take the Blue Line from here to Government Center, then the “B” Green Line from there all the way to BU.” Err, what???

We got on the train, lugged my huge suitcase to a couple of seats, and settled in for the ride. And what did A. do? He spent the ride telling me about Boston, didn’t he? Nope. He promptly fell asleep. For the whole ride! (He’s so endearing, isn’t he??)

And what was the first thing we did upon disembarking the train? Set out for some food, of course. You already know food plays a big part in my life now (it’s not a new phenomenon). So we went to the Super 88, the Asian supermarket and fast food place which radiates crazy food smells and is generally shocking to someone whose idea of Chinese is P.F. Changs.

A. apparently wanted to shock my system, so he ordered things I’d never heard of.

Today, I can look at that photo and think, “Mmm, Crab Rangoon. Pad Thai! Dumplings. Shu mai,” and want to eat them. That day, having not been exposed to most authentic Asian foods, my body reacted like this… “Taylor, what the h$%! are you doing to me???”And thus began the trip of eating way too much, and my body not necessarily reacting the way it should.

After I ate a bite of each, A. finished up the rest while laughing at my simple very-American tastes. I was indignant then, but now, I might agree that I could’ve expanded my culinary horizons. Regardless, A. and I were together again, and we were happy.

A few thoughts and things discovered about Boston:

1. There are SO MANY amazing places to eat. We discovered that in full that week. Here’s me at Crispy Crepes looking embarrassed for eating so much. But believe me, that nutella crepe was gone in 10 seconds after this photo was taken.

2. Boston is beautiful, albeit rainy and cold in the winter months. (You’ll survive, just like I did.)

3. You must always visit Paul Revere when you’re in the North End, and bring your Mike’s Pastry box as an offering (that you don’t really share with him).

4. Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market are HUGE tourist traps that you MUST go to no matter what. You’ll find some of the best lobster rolls in Quincy Market. If you can visit during the holiday season, it’ll be beautifully decorated and even more special.

5. If you met a certain guy named A., he’ll show you all the best places to eat while simultaneously embarrassing you. Great place to eat: The Melting Pot (a little commercial, but the chocolate dip is HEAVEN and makes going to a chain worth it). A way to be embarrassed: get whipped cream on your nose which A. will photograph and laugh hysterically about.

Boston was wonderful. The fact that the sun set at 4:00pm during the winter months was a little strange, but I still liked it. It was intensely cold for this south Georgia girl, but I survived. And I learned an important lesson… don’t smile at every stranger to cross your path because you might just be asking to be abducted. As A. said, “This isn’t Georgia, Taylor! People don’t just smile at each other for no reason.”

It was the perfect trip. I found out that it is must easier to leave than be left, which would define my next two years. I left Boston with a smile and the memory of our sweet visit. I had no idea that two years later, I’d be traveling up here again, but this time… for good.

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I’m signing off for the weekend, friends. There is lots of packing in my near future, as well as some video shooting, and maybe a day trip out of town. Enjoy the rest of your Friday and have a great weekend!