list no. 20 :: 11 seemingly random things

Today's list is random in that the items listed here aren't following an obvious theme, although they are important to me and thus, worthy to make note of. 

1. My sister's children and her ex are moving to Los Angeles! What a gift, the opportunity to see them regularly and consistently. And I'd be lying if I wasn't relishing the fact that I won't have to travel to Vancouver any time soon. It's a beautiful city full of sad memories for me and honestly, I need a break. 
2. I spent a part of Mother's Day at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, the motherlode of flea markets here in the southland. I chose to pay the early bird price, ($5 additional), and it was worth it in a less stressy environment. I'm also convinced the best stuff goes early, proof positive in the super clean, working Polaroid Spectra I picked up for $20 and the wee collection of vintage blue glass bottles, ($5 each), that will sit in the kitchen window box. 3 perfect bud vases.
3. I visited my favorite book store and I got to watch the original Dirty Dancing while sipping on an iced dirty soy chai latte. 
4. I've started my summer, beach reading early with two different, mass market paperback collections: The Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice and A Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin. 
5. Speaking of reading, how do you read these days? Old school books? Nook? Kindle? iPad? I've been looking at a Kindle, but I'm still on the fence about it. I think it would be brilliant for traveling, (always trying to lighten the load), but I love to hold a novel in my hands and reading on my laptop right now, (new glasses coming), I'm missing the tactile love.
6. I'm thoroughly enjoying the process of going through my clothes as I pack. I'm noticing a theme to things that no longer suit me; clothes that I was inspired to buy because of online social medial stimulation. "She has that, I think it looks really cool, I want to be cool like that..." lead me down a slippery slop of impulse purchases, producing half dozen items now in a pile on my bed; aptly named the WTF was I thinking pile.
7. Other than sandals, my shoes, (not boots, i'm good with my boots), are relics of my acupuncture days. Comfortable clogs and floppy Birkenstocks were really great at work and fit with my casual, acupuncturist who wears lipstick style. And not at all in tune with how I like to dress here in California. 
8. I look at the way I dressed in those bucolic Nj years and again I can't help but think, WTF was I thinking? 
9. I see now that I was on some middle-aged war path, with my short hair and clothes that were stylish and comfortable and so mom who works part-time and lives in the suburbs, I cry. 
10. I'm not sure my style has a name these days, but I'm working towards my style statement and the relics from my other life back east and as an acupuncturist, (shoes that are almost new, clothes that are work-oriented), is another time, another Kristen. And it certainly doesn't work with how I want to represent myself now. 
11. And finally, in a complete non-sequiteur, proving just how random this list really is, I am completely obsessed with this Nars velvet gloss lip pencil. Lately, a brush of powder, curled eye lashes and this color is all I need to meet the world feeling pretty.