The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat.
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.

This Sunday's free farm stand in the mission left me with a wonderful bounty.

I wanted to make use of my fresh rosemary bundle,

but knew that I wouldn't be cooking often enough to use it up.

After a little research I found out that rosemary, or "dew of the sea," as its latin name translates,

has other uses outside of the kitchen .

Its leaves can be used in sachets and placed in drawers or closets to keep moths at bay,

it can be used in an aromatic bath for a sore muscle soak or to relieve cold symptoms,

and consumed as a tea to reduce headaches and improve low moods.

I also discovered that it has strengthening properties for your hair.

To make an aromatic hair rinse,

place a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in a pot,

cover with water, and boil for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool before using in hair.

After washing and or conditioning,

use about 1/2 cup to massage into scalp, evenly distributing.

yes please

After finally listening to Mountain Man's full length album Made the Harbor,

I was reminded of a classic female harmony trio, the Boswell Sisters.

In particular, their song Buffalo and their cover of the Mills Brothers' song How'm I doin'? made me think of the vocal sisters from the 30's.

It seems to me that beautiful things come in threes.

So far, November has been a really hard month.

Many tears have been shed.

My return to San Francisco was not quite as welcoming as I had hoped,

and I can't quite figure out what to do with my life or where to start picking up the shattered pieces.

I have absolutely no money, no job, and no "home" to call my own.

Do I settle down for a while or keep traveling?

Either way, I'd need money, which does not grow on trees, no matter how hard I wish.

Recent life-changing events are finally surfacing and becoming hard for me to deal with emotionally.

I realize that spending a summer abroad was not enough to clear them from my mind.

Therapy you say? I agree, but who has money for such spoils?

Talk about a pity party...

However, I find that I am not alone with my hardships this month.

Many of my closest friends are going through some trials and tribulations of their own,

and some that are very similar to mine.

What is it about this time of year that causes us to reevaluate our lives,

or worse, when we realize that we have no control over the outcome of our lives,

or when our lives simply fall apart on us?

I distinctly remember going through equally hard times in October last year...

Coincidence?

Perhaps.

My current sanity and well-being comes from my amazing friends who have been here for me when I need them the most.

For them, I am thankful.

And yourself?

This song has been stuck in my head all day, and I thought it seemed fit for this post.

Erik Satie's I-Gnossiennes

I'm starting to really look forward to having my own room again,

someday...

in the meantime, I shall continue to daydream.

last night, again,
you were in my dreams
several expendable limbs were at stake
you were a prince, spinning rims
all sentiments indian-given and half-baked
I was brought in on a palanquin
made of the many bodies of beautiful women
brought to this place to be examined,
swaying on an elephant:
a princess of india

(j.n.)

home at last

Im starting to think that I have horrible luck,

especially when it comes to flying.

Instead of being able to catch my connecting flight from London to SFO,

I have to fly back to Prague from Manchester on Sunday, spend all day and night in the airport,

just to fly from Prague to London the next day.

I absolutely hate airlines now, and will be coming back to San Francisco with no money.

(insert sadface here)

Helen took me on a daytrip to the Chatsworth House belonging to the Dukes of Devonshire