4x6

so there's a photo contest at the study abroad office. which, shamelessly, is one of the reasons i went abroad. i kept it in mind everytime i brought my camera out with me for a day of exploring, no matter what city or country i found myself in. here are the finalists i've narrowed it down to... we can only enter 5.

they're in order of my travels- spain, morocco, paris, italy.










in 2 weeks, expect a nondescript post with a picture of one of these photos on a wall beneath a sign reading "1st place".

<3.

radiothon

this week is radiothon on the wuvt... as i was listening today, they played a song called ibiza sunrise. which made me laugh. and dance. and remember my own ibiza sunrise... i spent the remaining 3 minutes of thumping techno beats juxtaposing my weekend in ibiza with my current weekend plans... 3 days of constant partying at pacha and privilege, sequentially the oldest and biggest clubs in the world, against plans to go "downtown" tonight... sitting on a beach on the favorable side of an island, watching the sunrise over the mediterranean after dancing for 9 hours straight, against walking 4 blocks home after last call at 2am... a crucial hotel breakfast buffet against the solar haus's frequent saturday morning waffle parties...

the irony of the song and my two contradicting lives made me smile, and crave them both.

i turned my key, got out of my car, and walked into my house.
still dancing.

hide and seek.

tonight, i was making dinner and still stumped as to where i will find the acid-yellow crocodile embossed fabric i need to make my versace knock-off dress for my latest assignment. frustrated, i decided to see if i could get in touch with the owner of fleur, a new richmond fabric shop, thinking maybe she could help.

in doing so, i stumbled upon the store's blog, and spent my mealtime absorbing the thoughts and adventures that have been brewing on robinson st... then i found, arguably, what i was looking for.

geocaching.

are you kidding me? a treasure hunt. a modern-day treasure hunt. my fingers could hardly keep up as i typed in '24060' in the zip code box... and BAM, up popped an entire list of hidden things within a 20-mile radius of the solar haus.

it's listed by coordinates. tempted, i typed in the coordinates at the top of my blog.

how convenient! geocaching in barcelona. all i need is a lucky scratcher and a plane ticket.

it's all happening.

this is one of the best movie clips, ever. it's just magic.

one of my best friends is going to morocco. and staying in the same small town where i stayed, in the same beach house where i spent countless hours on the rooftop terrace. exploring the same beaches i surfed, napped, and ran around laughing and feeling free. visiting the same shop around the corner where i bought her a souvenir, a charm i didn't get a chance to give her before she left for italy.

ironic? not if you knew us.

she's one of those people that if i asked her to come to morocco with me for one year, i wouldn't have to ask again.

if you are too, expect a call. soon.

sharp turns.

i was thinking about my arguably obscure title tea leaves and rooftops and what it means, exactly. i chose it when i started my blog, originally to document my semester abroad. in thinking about a glamorous 4 months in spain, i pictured afternoons sitting at outdoor cafe's enjoying conversation as well as sightseeing and incredible views from high places. and thus, tea leaves and rooftops became the contradictory combination that matches my life, on either side of the atlantic. my days are characterized by a series of simple, significant moments and big, unforgettable adventures. and i crave it all.




what i learned this weekend:
the thing about motorcycles is that if you close your eyes, you don't notice the sharp turn ahead signs. and if you're going fast enough, no one can hear you whispering oh shit i'm scared and mostly you just look cool. very cool. in your brown leather jacket, obviously.

park residents.

just before i left blacksburg for a glamorous week of spring-breaking in the river city, i checked my email to find my out-of-class assignment for the week: do something socially responsible.

the instructions really weren't much more complicated than that, with a few margin and font constraints and an enthusiastic have fun with this!

i began to think about it as i drove down main street, windows down and music at a justifiable windows-down level. three hours later my mood was slightly dampened and the only socially responsible thing on my mind was to speed down the median, laughing loudly at the other cars as i sat in stopped traffic barely 20 miles from blacksburg.

regardless, i did make it home eventually, and filled my weekend with a collage of cafediemtexasbeachmomlunchesoregonhillstickyrice and other things that teased me of a richmond summer. on my way through the city sunday i passed by monroe park... and found my cause.

i spent monday afternoon assembling a totebag worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and set off for my selfless act of social responsibility. i ended up on a bench in the middle of monroe park with my bag of sandwiches, my friend and his dog, and a poster that read "Free PBJ's! Just ask me!". it took a few minutes for the park residents' hunger to overcome their skepticism, and my first two patrons walked up. confused, i explained to them that i made some sandwiches. "do ya'll want one?" they smiled. and accepted. and reminded me that if there were any leftover, they'd be there a while.

within an hour i had handed out all of my sandwiches. one man came back for four, but i never refused him. i left monroe park, a place notoriously thought of as dangerous, with an empty totebag and a huge smile on my face. somehow my act of social responsibility ended up ironically personal.


<3.

duets.

something about the piano in fao schwartz always makes you feel like a kid.
or, if you are a kid, makes you charmingly photographable.

enjoy.






<3.