:: letters home - in memory of ::

i've been wanting to share poppy's letters from war for a while, but just haven't taken the time to get them all scanned and figure out how i wanted to post them. so for memorial day, i'll go ahead and put a couple of them up here. his first two letters home.

in honor of my favorite soldier.
letters from my favorite soldier.

[click to enlarge]

21 Nov. 1944
Dear Mamma,
Here is the first letter that I have had time to write since we left Georgia. We had a nice trip and all went well. The train was made up of pullmans, a kitchen and a couple of baggage cars. Traveling by pullman really beats the old coaches.

The weather here is pretty cool and it has been raining for a couple of days. I suppose that it will really get cold when the rain quits. My blanket-lined jacket really comes in handy now. I wish that I had a sheep-skin vest for really cold weather.

Will you have Daddy oil my guns every couple of mo weeks or every month. They should be oiled both on the inside & outside. Tell him to keep the inside of the shotgun barrel in good shape even if he has to buy a rod & brush for it. I'll pay him for the brush. He doesn't have to worry about the inside of the rifle barrels for they won't rust.

Don't worry about me for I am o.k. and will get along o.k. Tell the rest I said hello and will write as soon as possible.
Lots of love,
Arthur Jr.

[click to enlarge]

25 Nov. 1944
Dear Mamma,
Well here it is Saturday night and I am Duty Officer to-night. There really isn't very much that I can write about as we have very little news.

I'm sorry that Tech let Notra Dame beat them so bad. Tech had been riding along on luck for a long time. I guess that it really hurt Daddy too.

Martie, Buddy, Pramer, Lillie & I met in the big town last night and spent the day sight-seeing. I knew that it would be a large place but wasn't expecting it to be that large. I don't know whether I would like to live up here or not. I believe that I will still take good ole Georgia for my home.

We saw them ice skating and it looks as if they do it so easy. I believe that it would really be fun. I'd like to make an ice sled with a motor on it and ride over the lakes & rivers when they freeze over.

Has Elizabeth heard from Walt since he called her the other night? Martie & Buddy said that they hadn't seen or heard of him. I suppose that he just didn't have any time off to call her. John Jr wouldn't have anything to do with me the first time I saw him but the next time he seemed very glad to see me. I believe that he was just sleepy the first night.

I am going to close now and go check on the men.

Mamma I want you to snap out of it and quit acting like you have been about my going to the A.P.O. P.O.E There just isn't any use in your acting like and you're just running your blood pressure up and hurting yourself. There just isn't any sense in it at all. You'll just worry everyone around you. Now promise me that you'll relax and not worry or I'll just quit writing to you. No I won't do that but I'll be mad at you and no fooling.

Tell everyone I said "hello."

Lots of love,
Arthur Jr

:: dear new york ::

i fall in love. you break my heart. over and over. i miss you already.

:: une parodie ::

remember this?

well now there's this. adorable.

p-et-p.blogspot.com

:: oh yo, oh yo, catch this ::

somehow, in 2010, this woman was able to find a dress in the exact same style as the dress julia roberts (as vivian) wore in "pretty woman." in 1990. i have to wonder if she a) did not know or b) did not care that this dress is pretty symbolic of what a prostitute might wear. at least she had the presence of mind to tone the look down with the kelly kapowski footwear instead of the thigh-high black boots.

refinery29.com

:: smart mugs ::

german scientists have taken the idea behind insulation used in many european homes to create a mug that will help keep drinks at the optimal temperature for longer periods (20-30 minutes, under "ideal conditions"). the mug is lined with a phase change material ("PCM") that is similar to wax. it melts at a certain temperature point (depending on the vessel's use - 136 degrees for coffee/tea, 47 degrees for beer, etc) and slowly releases that stored heat to keep the liquid at the specific temperature. i don't normally take longer than 20-30 minutes to drink a cup of coffee or tea, and i don't really care about keeping other drinks colder than room temperature (especially not for longer than 20-30 minutes), so while i think the science behind this is really cool (har), i'm not necessarily going to run out and get one of these mugs (if and when they're being manufactured). i do, however, think the same idea in a plate or bowl could be very useful - keeping soups or entrees consistently warm (or ice cream, cold) could be really helpful at home AND at restaurants. (think ruth's chris steakhouse's 500 degree plates.)

you'd just have to make sure not to use the ice cream smartbowl for your veggie soup or vice versa.



[image: fraunhofer institute for building physics]

:: looklet dot com ::

i am pretty obsessed with looklet.com. i get lost in the pages and pages of various clothes & accessories. it's pretty much becoming a hobby at this point.

while creating absolutely horrendous looks (that are absurd enough to possibly be considered fashionable one day) is lots of fun, i really love picking out pieces that i like but would probably never purchase for myself and putting looks together that are beyond my comfort zone but that either look good or are on trend (or, sometimes, both).

bubble skirt with cropped jacket
floral mini dress with blazer

structured shoulders with caged booties
short suit, stripes & platform gladiators

:: plant. bed. plantbed ::

today i came across an album of pictures from the nashville flood and amidst many sad photos of homes & yards going under water, this particular photo stood out to me because of the neat little plantBED. first of all, i love the bed itself. i have an affinity for this sort of bedframe - there's something very 'girl interrupted'-mental-institution yet country-cottage-cozy about them and i would love one (double or queen) for my guest room. but beyond that, i think the idea of re-purposing it by turning it into a plant bed is very clever.

if the water keeps rising, it might just get a third life and become a raft.

i don't know who took the picture or who that is in it, so if - by some crazy chance -you do, please let me know and i will give proper credit.

and please know that i do not want to seem insensitive to the situation there in nashville - i am deeply concerned for the people and hope that the waters recede quickly and there will be as little damage as is possible from something like this.