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New Year’s Blogging Resolutions Update

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Red Torii at Fushimi Inari-taisha, Kyoto, Japan

Can you believe we’re already over one-fourth of the way through 2015? Time has been passing really oddly for me this year. I don’t know where the past three months have gone– but if someone tries to remind me of something that happened in February, I keep thinking that no way, can’t be… that must have happened back in December!

It both seems like it was about a week ago and like it was about a year ago when I wrote my 10 Blogging Resolutions for the New Year. Right around this time of the year is usually when resolutions either stick or completely fall apart. In the hope that I can keep up my good work, I’m sharing what I’ve done successfully and where I can improve in the next few months.

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Long Spring Weekend

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purple and white spring flowers

The weather finally seems to be taking a turn for the better in the Northeast. I hope you had a good weekend and got outside for a bit of sunshine. It felt good to open all the windows and let the light flood in.

Winter has been unusually long. I think the extreme weather contributed to my general feelings of malaise– I even caught a cold, which I don’t think has happened in fifteen years.

I’m glad to see a few signs of spring.

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What’s In My Influenster XO VoxBox

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john frieda beach blonde collection

In my latest Influenster VoxBox, the Beach Blonde products from John Frieda ended up being my favorites. They remind me of this peppermint shampoo the stylists used at the salon when was a little girl. I haven’t used that shampoo in fifteen years, but I’ve never forgotten it.

The Beach Blonde™ Cool Dip™ Purifying Shampoo and Smooth Seas™ Detangling Conditioner make my hair and scalp feel really clean, and also slightly tingly (in a good way). The Sea Waves™ Sea Salt Spray and Luxurious Volume 7 Day Volume In-Shower Treatment also worked really well for me. The volume treatment gave my hair a big boost.

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Tea Time

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IMG_3882

It’s March, so of course I’m just getting around to drinking my Christmas tea blend. Might have something to do with those moving boxes, etc. visible in the background, but even so– March. Christmas tea. Seems about on schedule.

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Winter Black + White Ikat

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SIXTYSEVEN ikat ankle boots

These black and white ikat boots brightened up my winter. Found late fall of last year, they were a total steal at $39.99 in an Anthropologie sale bin. I haven’t been wearing them much lately on account of all the snow, but hopefully they’ll be back in regular rotation again this spring. These boots aren’t available online any more, so they must have been a past season style. I haven’t seen any more ikat boots of any kind lately either. …

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I Climbed a Mountain and I Turned Around

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Sorrento Sunset

Oh, hey. New year, new name and all that. Or so I figure.

If you’ve ever met me in person, you know that I’ve never liked the name of my blog. I tried about 100 domain names (it felt like that, okay?) and I couldn’t get any of the ones I wanted. So my blog name was about the 100th runner up on the list.

However, this was back in the bad old days when the domains available were just .com and .net. These days, we have options. Which is why I’m now blogging at lettersfromthe.city.

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On Moving (Up, Out, On?)

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new york city skyline in the morning

Look at that skyline.

Ever since I moved to New York, I’ve had this weird mental block about living in New Jersey (it’s just… not New York). Which is strange, because I know plenty of people who live in New Jersey. And I just think of it as another place to live if you spend a lot of time working in New York. It’s not Manhattan, but neither are Brooklyn, Queens, Connecticut…

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Snowy Winter Walk

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snowy city

Dear Mia,

We’re getting quite a blizzard here so I’m planning on staying safely indoors until it passes through. This afternoon, I took the opportunity for one last walk (no taxis) before holing up in my apartment.

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A Christmas Ornament Story

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crushed velvet moose christmas ornament

Dear Nnenna,

It’s actually been years since I’ve decorated a Christmas tree. Trees are nice, but the best part of decorating them is that I’ve attached a memory to almost every ornament. Even if I didn’t have a tree and just sorted through the ornaments, I would like recalling those memories up.

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