Fountain Friday

University of Texas

Austin, Texas

There are very few things I dislike about UNC. But one of them is that there is only one fountain on campus. One. (Which will be the focus of a future Fountain Friday, of course.) And sadly, it's not quite as majestic as the one I found at the University of Texas. (Even though it wasn't even fully operational. See: outer ring.) But it was a beautiful Carolina-blue-skied day with the sun low in the sky. The fountain just completed the perfect picture.

Inside the mind of a pack rat (aka I am my father's daughter)

In preparing to move for the 15th time in eight years, I'm trying very hard to shed some of my unnecessary belongings. The problem, however, is that I'm a pack rat. A huge one. And not only that, I'm also terribly sentimental; a terrible combination. And, therefore, I'd like to say...

Hello, my name is Bonnie, and I'm a sentimental pack rat.

From a key chain I've had since I was four, to every gift either of my nieces or my brother has ever given me, I keep it all. I try and I try to trim the fat, but it's like things jump from my "trash" or "donate" piles back into my drawers and boxes and refuse to let go.

And it's not like I really have a choice, it's genetic. My father has the affliction, and so did his father, and for all I know, my grandfather's father could have had it, too. And I do strongly believe in family tradition.

But tonite I really buckled down so that I can do away with one small rolling cart and two small shelves. (Though small, they're a start.) While cleaning out the rolling cart, I came across this:


Yes, a tiny Fn key from a laptop. (Though I know this is a function key, I prefer to call it Fn key, because in my head it sounds like "effin key." I am so mature.) A quick glance at my current laptop, Francisco, and I see this:


Clearly not a mate. And since this is only the second laptop I've ever had, I can only assume it belongs on my college laptop, Javier, and I honestly don't know where he is. So this is easy, pick up the Fn key and toss it into the trash bag six inches away. But...

What if something happens to Francisco's Fn key? It happened once, it could happen again. What if I toss it, put the trash bag in the garbage can, and the city picks up the garbage. Then I come home, open my computer and...wait, something's happened to the Fn key! Thank goodness I have that spare. OH NO!! I can't believe I threw out the Fn key!

Forget that I don't know how to re-attach a laptop key. Forget that the fonts don't match and that would drive my OCD crazy. Forget that the IBM key might not work on a Dell. That Fn key isn't going anywhere but to my new apartment.

Fontana Friday

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi and Fontana dei Nuttono
Rome, Italy

Well, this is embarrassing. I started to write about a fountain I visited in Rome, and that was seen briefly in a scene in Eat Pray Love, and realized that I don't technically have a photo of it. I have a photo of my feet in it and a photo of one of the "quattro fiumi," but not a photo of the actual fountain. Oh well, I'm writing about it anyway.

After a long day of sightseeing in Rome, and about a week into our three-week European Adventure, my friend and I came to the Piazza Navona. The comforting and cooling waters of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi called to our limp and lacerated feet. Taking our cues from others doing the same, we parked said feet in the cold, cold water as we Italian-watched and basked in the beautiful Roman sun. And then the Polizia came and kicked us all out, forcing us back on our tired, but now refreshed and wet, feet.

And now I see the long, the short, the middle, and what's in between

I've been in a funk lately, both blogging- and life-wise, so here are some bullet points to wake me up:

• Nothing makes me miss college less than being amongst the throngs of new students shopping at Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. As amazing as college turned out to be, being on the precipice of the unknown--full of shower buckets, mini fridges, and hot pots--was just too scary.
  
• I don't get all the hype about Whole Foods.
• It's weird enough when people my age that I actually know and converse with get married and have kids. But when Carolina basketball players my age do it, it seems even more weird. It's like they're frozen in my head standing outside the dining hall or winning championships, and if they are growing up, it means I should be, too.
• One day I want to walk up to a hipster--decked out in her fedora, neon wayfarers, dress with a too-high waist, and saddleshoes--and just go, "Really? Do you think you look good? Really?"
• My new shampoo and conditioner is making my hair super silky and smooth. I just want to touch it all the time but I think that might be weird.
• When she went to Charlotte recently, my mom bought me some Cherry Lemon Sun Drop, which I brought back here when I was home last weekend. I've been subsisting on it ever since. This may be why it's almost 11 p.m. but I'm wide awake and my fingers are twitching.
• And because this post needs just a little more random, me kissing a Lego Yoda:

When Yoda says, "Kiss me, you must," it's hard to say no.

My Weekend

Sculpture Garden Fountain

Feet in fountain

Reading

Shopping. A lot.

New favorite nail polish: Rose Bowl by Essie. (Thanks, Mom!)

Risotto with freshly grated Parmesan. (I'm obsessed.)

Lots of movies and tv. (Eat Pray Love, Date Night, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,
I Capture the Castle, and Mad Men)

New favorite sweater from The Gap. (That the saleslady gave me for 20% off after I declined their credit card offer. Yeah, I don't get it either.)

Fountain Friday

Neptunbrunnen
Berlin, Germany

Unfortunately, I spent much of my time in Berlin cold, culture shocked, and so unbearably homesick I could hardly function. However, there were bright spots, including this massive and powerful fountain. If I close my eyes I can still hear the booming rush of water.

Fountain Friday

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

Washington, D.C.

Sitting at this fountain—feet in the cool water, spray hitting my face, people watching, reading, trying to stay cool—is one of my most favorite summer in the city activities. (Except for during this atrociously hot summer where I haven't been once.)

An ice rink in the winter, this fountain must be the largest in the city, even if it is quite simple in its design. And while it would be much better without the pesky "no wading" rule and over-eager security guard and his whistle, it is perfect on a hot D.C. day.

Fountain Friday

Paris Casino

Las Vegas, NV

What this picture doesn't show is the suffocating heat and humidity surrounding this fountain, making its cooling mist especially soothing and pleasant. Nor does it show me skipping up to it, so excited that it was on, unlike the previous night, when it was silent and sad. The only thing worse than the absence of a fountain, is a dead fountain.

Madly, madly, madly

Welcome to my 600th post! In honor of this milestone, and after four years of the same old stuff, I think it's time to bring in my altar ego, straight out of a 60s ad agency. (Courtesy of AMC's Mad Men Yourself.)


I was going to give myself a sixties name, but when I found a name generator online, it told me my name was Lois Darlene. Um, no. I'll stick with Bonnie. I've grown rather attached to it and I think it's a bit vintage anyway.

I've been watching Mad Men since the beginning and simply cannot get enough. It has turned me from someone who used to just watch an episode and be done with it, to someone who now must watch the show, read commentary online, discuss with my mom, and then ponder all of its meanings until the next episode, when the cycle starts again.


Quite simply: it's the smartest show on television. The characters have amazing depth with multiple layers to each action and word. But yet, the events of the time period and the popular culture, things completely out of their control, shape the lives of the characters more so than any action or word. But even when the audience knows what's coming, a political front or social dilemma, we still have no idea what is really coming, and how it's going to affect the characters we love.

I just want everyone in the world to watch it so I can talk about it even more. Though for now I'll be happy with Project Rungay commentary and Mad Men Unbuttoned. Seriously, these are daily, or even hourly, fixes that make me so happy. And the latter is now a book, which I read in about a day and half last week. Love. It. (And not just because I happened to win another book from them because I had pre-ordered theirs. They sent me Meditations in an Emergency by Frank O'Hara, which featured in an earlier MM episode.)

And in case I needed any more proof that this is the perfect show for me, four of the characters are now Barbie dolls. Like you need anymore proof that this a profoundly influential and wonderful show? I didn't think so.

Fountain Friday

As mentioned numerous times before, fountains are one of my most favorite things. The first fountain I ever loved was at a bank building in my hometown. In front was a shallow, rectangular pool of water with four or five little geyser-type fountains. To be honest, they're quite piddly, especially compared to so many others, but it was always a thrill to drive by and see them working. (For some reason they weren't on all the time.)

Fountains just fill me with such joy. I firmly believe in embracing the little things in life and if something as simple as a little concrete and water can make me smile, then I will continue to seek them out and run up to every one I see. And then photograph them. In sorting through my pictures folders I realized I have photos of more than 50 individual fountains. From two continents, half a dozen states, and seven countries. So as long as there are fountains to be seen, every Friday is now Fountain Friday.

Russell Square
London, England

The Bloomsbury and Russell Square area of London will always hold a special place in my heart because it's where I lived for four weeks of summer school. But somehow I didn't make it to the actual Russell Square until I moved back. After a week or two I made my way to Bloomsbury for lunch at one of my favorite pizza places. I went to the Square to eat lunch and discovered this fountain. It's one of my favorites because it's such a natural part of the environment. There is no barrier, and I love that I could just walk right through it.