the lost symbol
For the three years I worked in publishing, I never bought a book. Everything I added to my personal bookshelf was gratis, either from my company or via a trade with another publishing house. Now, several years later, I still rarely buy a book. Let me clarify: I hardly ever buy a book at full price. I love the bargain books section at Barnes & Noble and the several-times-a-year used book sale at my local library

ne state fair: what we ate
Before you think that I consumed all of this fried yumminess myself, let me explain that J, the W’s and I shared everything we bought. That way we each got a few bites of a whole lot of food. The only item missing from our list of things consumed was a fried Snickers bar; the line was way too long for that particular vendor, and we were exhausted after sitting in the sun watching adorable pigs race. Hot Beef Sundae

ne state fair: what we saw
Saturday morning, J and I drove to Lincoln with the W’s to check out the Nebraska State Fair. Now, J will argue that the fair was not actually in Lincoln, but I say it was close enough to count. Last year J and I went and spent several hours checking out all of the animals (4-H Llamas!) and food vendors, but this year our mission was much simpler: eat fried foods on sticks and watch the pig race. Of course, you can’t attend a state fair without catching a glimpse of some of the livestock (and other colorful characters), so without further adieu, here’s what we saw on Saturday…

jungle red
I’ve got to get myself a tube of NARS Jungle Red lipstick like the model here is wearing. I love it… but I wonder how it would look with my new red hair… (via Cup of Jo)

found: muffins
We found these two mini-muffins sitting on our stoop the other day–no note, no nothing. Just two mini-muffins on a decorative napkin. Needless to say, we did not eat them.