A new scent-sation.

Today's is the soupiest of mornings. I almost drowned on the way to get my coffee, felt decidedly adventurous for venturing out at all, and opted (adventurously) for Irish Cream syrup instead of my usual Sugar-Free Vanilla. Despite the soggy skies, I had gone to the trouble of spritzing before leaving Evanston Place - so I was super pumped when the barista complimented me on my new perfume, a fruity "floriental" by the kooky but irresistible Betsey Johnson.



My perfume obsession began a few weeks ago, when I used up the last of my Aquolina Pink Sugar and decided it was time for a more mature signature scent. My wish list is a long one, but Betsey was my first indulgence - and I have to say, I couldn't have picked a better fragrance for myself. With top notes of grapefruit, tangerine, and blackcurrant berries undercut by a blend of floral bouquets and sensual amber, it's flirty and funky without being overpowering - and wins bonus points for its adorable art deco bottle. Sephora.com describes its personality as "eccentric, wonderful, tantalizing" - and while my perfume collection has a long way to go, I think this purchase was the perfect place to start.

The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings.

I cannot even put into words how glorious it is to be back on the North Shore.

I love this campus; I love this town - not to mention that life as it stands is a comfortable limbo between summertime laziness and actual responsibility. Classes don't start for another week and a half, so I'm mostly just wreaking my usual havoc in Evanston (read: loitering in Café Ambrosia slurping iced coffees and pretending to be productive) and slutting myself around apartments to check out everyone's decorating jobs. The entire world has moved off-campus. It's unsettingly awesome. And while I personally am beyond thrilled to spend a year in Gamma Phi, watching the paint jobs and the furniture shopping is getting me so pumped for apartment life when my turn finally does roll around.

I'm currently residing on the fold-out couch of Jamie Lynn...who just might have the most outrageous views in Evanston:





I spy with my little eye: the Bahá’í temple, University Hall, the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. Photos courtesy of my new digital camera, which makes everyone (or me, anyway) look tan and thin. Into it.