The summer has officially slipped into the past, and with it my leisurely days packed only with books and tea. Though, I will never complain at the arrival of my most beloved season - Fall - and would certainly not turn my back on my favorite month - October - the romanticized nostalgia of summer is crying out, begging to be recognized and pulled back into my immediate reality. Sometimes I feel winter is the harsh reply to summer's simple question - though I would never trade it, cold weather and I understand each other.  The frivolity of the simple season has passed; now, I spend 7 hours a day at the library and can hardly muster up the energy to read for fun. Even still, I have never been more fulfilled in my learning. And while I wish there were a way to balance the two, being over-worked and under-slept is just fine for now.

This is the way I have spent my summer - drinking fruity cocktails in the evening, and tea every other time of day. I am happy to continue on this way for just about ever. Some days I don't even get dressed; I spend the day in my nightgown curled up with a book (I am currently reading Little Princes by Conner Grennan, it's equally uplifting and depressing, and not preachy in the slightest), drinking pots of tea, and eating homemade scones. If this was the way I was spending my days a year ago I would have thought it hellish.

Storm Warnings

Stormy weather which waits on no one - not even you, my fair haired idyllic friend. I am dark and punishable, spattered in the mist of a thunderous afternoon - counting the drops beating down on a shanty roof in the nearest neighborhood. This is rain washed with blood; come from the Adriatic and the North sea. The history is in my bones, tainted with the memory of a million unearthed deaths - all come up in the water beads which beat against my skull.

Well, if my life is made up of two things, it would be tea and fashion. I ran out of sleepy-time tea yesterday, which was a tragedy in itself, and have yet to buy more (how trivial my life is). The weather is warm for once! And, since it was absolutely beautiful outside, I ventured all the way into the backyard to take a few photos. It was, I swear, ten degrees out, and it was supposed to rain but never did. Then there was the mall trip, and of course I spent more money than necessary, buying a bath bomb at Lush (best purchase ever), Wonder Woman lipstick by MAC, and fake lashes. I am a bit of a MAC fan girl, I'd say a good 90% of the make up I use daily is made by the brand, including my brushes. An expensive obsession, I know.

I'm still reading Anna Karenina, though, my reading has been a little slow, since I've also been working my way through a Plath anthology and The Outsider by Albert Camus. I would really like to finish it this week, but I've got a massive amount of studying to do, so it seems a little impossible.

Au Revoir

French Macarons

It's been snowing since yesterday, and there are several inches of lovely, untainted, white snow covering the area. Though, it is terribly windy. Not that I am effected, since 95% percent of my weekend has been spent indoors; wearing heaps of sweaters, drinking tea, reading books and studying for exams. I've become quite the hermit, I must say. Anyways, in-between reading Lolita and drawing Heart Diagrams I took the time to make these absolutely wonderful French Macarons - they are impossible to find in stores around here. So, I took it upon myself to rectify the lack of French delicacies in my life by making these delicate sugar-infused sweets. They turned out surprisingly well, though I had to repeat the egg step due to my disastrous overmixing, and I am certainly planning to make many, many more.

The recipe I used is here - it was simple and the list of variations was quite handy. I used the chocolate ganache filling alongside the normal shell recipe.