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some of my favorite posts

found on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup

beach trash, gradient, rainbow, lake erie, plastic, pollution

Just a small ‘found on the beach‘ layout for you here today. In my last beach trash post, I mentioned how the last few times I had been to the beach previous to that visit it was actually very clean. It seemed like the park was on the up and up! There were new picnic benches, a fancy pants wooden fence, and most noticeably of all, it was clean. This beach that was previously covered in driftwood, and trash was actually somewhere people might want to go again. But that was before winter though. It seems as though it was ignored for a few months which meant it was a mess again. I think Earth Day marked the day that beach cleaning started up for the park. All of that to say, my preferred trash beach is fairly clean for the time being which is great obviously but means I don’t find as much.

This layout was from my first visit after their clean-up. Not too many things but the stuff I did find was pretty interesting. I’m working on another found on the beach fabric collection so needless to say, I’ve been hunting for really great little odds and ends to make the photos really pop. I was happy to find two plastic planes, the letter ‘G’, and a couple of strange little animals from hair clips.

It isn’t my best or largest beach trash photo but I can never resist the opportunity to arrange things in rainbow order, and get a few shots…

the dainty squid, beach trash, lake erie, plastic pollution

A quick found on the beach FAQ

  1. Did you find all this stuff in one trip?  Sadly, yes. This isn’t even a quarter of it either.
  2. What do you do with all after you’re done? Normally I toss it in the trash. Sometimes I may take certain pieces with me if I think they’ll look cool in a future arrangement. On rare occasions, I leave it as I photographed it. I’m still not sure which side of the fence I fall on here. It’s a bit counteractive since it’s still on the beach after I spent the time to pick it up but maybe others finding it and seeing what an issue plastic is, and possibly getting a kick out of the fact that someone made something colorful and fun from trash, is better than it sitting in a landfill forever. I don’t know.
  3. Do you wear gloves when you pick all this trash up? No, I don’t. These are things that are washed up from the lake, not just left on shore. They’re no dirtier than the sand or water. That’s not to say I don’t sanitize my hands as soon as I get back in my car though…
  4. How long does it take you to do these? Maybe 20 mins (probably less) depending on the size to pick everything up, and another 20 minutes to lay everything out and shoot it.

gradient, found on the beach, palladium,

My last arrangement inspired me to start a new little photos series where my shoe color starts the gradient in the arrangement. The white pair is still my favorite, just because I think that arrangement is the prettiest. I currently have one other colorful pair of Palladium Boots, in blue, so I’m looking forward to adding to the series. I’m thinking I’ll like it a little bit more when it doesn’t just remind me of the Italian flag. Heh! I also should probably get this pink pair, right?!

beach trash buddy!

 

Check out more of my beach related posts here.
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10 things making me smile

by Kaylah Stroup

This is a little bit different than my normal ‘10 things making me smile‘ post because it’s all photos of Professor. Back at the end of February I made him his own instagram account, @fessermakesfaces, so that I wasn’t constantly posting photos of him on my regular account. I thought I’d just post them here and there, whenever I had them, but it ended up becoming something that I specifically took photos for. He’s supremely photogenic, or maybe unphotogenic and that’s what makes it so good. Either way, I have an abundance of funny photos of my little toasted marshmallow that I want to share here for you today.

so angry
licking up catnip
*derp*cat with litter on its nose, professor stingray, siamese
litter nosecat wearing a hat, siamese, cat, hat
a fancy boy
that little tongue
Ahh!fancy feet
howling at the moonfunny cat photos
Arg!

 

I just can’t get enough. Sometimes I think about the fact that I almost didn’t adopt him and it seems so ridiculous. I didn’t want another cat, especially one that I thought would have long hair. He was so fluffy as a kitten. He’s the weirdest cat I’ve ever met, constantly doing something that makes me smile. I hope that even though you’ll probably never meet him these photos, that convey his personality so well, make you smile as well.

If you’d like to see more of this wild little animal, on a daily basis, be sure to follow his instagram account.
xoxo

funny cat photosbonus hyperspeed kitty!

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abandoned trailer park

by Kaylah Stroup

The abandoned trailer park is easily one of my most blogged about places. Since discovering it back in March of 2015 its made its way on to the blog a total of five times previous to this. All those posts are linked at the bottom of this one. Normally I’d hesitate to post yet another photo set from here but once again my excuse is that I feel like the photos are completely different than the previous times. Also, I got FOUR ticks on this little excursion so you’re going to look at my darn photos. Okay? Okay!

On Easter I saw on Allie from The Only Living Girl in New York was in town. I was bummed out that she hadn’t contacted me and wrongly assumed she probably hated me. Totally logical, right? With a little encouragement from Jeff I reached out to see if she was free the next day. I wasn’t really expecting to get to see her because I know how family holiday plans can be super crazy. So when she responded yes with an abundance of exclamation points I was super stoked… and super nervous.

We planned out an awesome day starting at one of my favorite little hole in the wall breakfast spots. The rest of the day from there was a series of let downs. I have a huge list of abandoned buildings around the area so I was positive I’d be able to show Allie and her friend, Jean-Marie, lots really interesting spots. We got shot down at every single place in a seriously bizarre number of ways. We covered a lot of ground that morning with absolutely zero luck.

We were just about to call it quits but luckily a solid lunch saved that day. After eating we came to the decision that driving to the trailer park could possibly redeem the whole day. Spoiler alert: it did.

green trailer, abandoned, overgrown

faces everywhere,

Do you see the face in the photo above?

abandoned books,

I was too nervous to go into this cabin when I discovered it on our last visit because I just got the weird vibe that someone lived there. It was arranged a bit differently on this most recent visit, and didn’t hold that same energy. Such a funny little set up.

abandoned, urbex, trailers, abandoned trailer park

yellow kitchen, abandoned, abandonedment

 

Despite my numerous previous visits I still found new things to photograph. If anything, I think I saw more this time to shoot than ever before. The first few cabins we entered were just full of personal items. Things always make a location so much more interesting, and relatable. I was particularly taken by the dusty old books shown above. They were so filthy. I’ve seriously never seen anything like it. When I showed Jeff my photos from the day he commented that they look like something from the set of a movie of an ‘abandoned’ location, not something you’d actually see in an abandoned home. I couldn’t agree more.

I didn’t really notice the titles of the books while I was shooting a thousand photos of them but while I was editing I spotted the title Hearse Class Male, which made me giggle. I was curious what it might be about so I looked it up. Amazon oddly enough didn’t have a description but they do have a photo of the cover. The quote on the cover reads “The blonde smiled at Liddell. ‘I’ll do anything I can to help you, Johnny. You know – the intimate touch.'” Maybe I’m really just a ten year old boy or maybe I think it’s funny because it sounds like something very, very naive would say but “the intimate touch” almost made coffee come out my nose.

trailer park paparazzi

The day didn’t turn out exactly as planned but it did give us lots of silly little stories, and we got to hang out the whole day which is way more than I ever expected. I’m really, really looking forward to hanging out with Allie again! To be able to connect with people through blogging like this is seriously the coolest. Consider this post encouragement to reach out and contact that person you follow that seems like they’d be a ton of fun. If us two shy gals can do it, you can too!

Until next time, trailer park.
xoxo

Check out past posts from this location – March 2015, March on film, June 2015, May 2016, and March 2017.
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May Goals

by Kaylah Stroup

planter by Friend Assembly, available at Moorea Seal.

 

I’ve mentioned quite a few times how much I enjoy making lists, and how much I like making goals. I make intense to do lists daily and write a hefty list of goals at the beginning of every year. I recently started reading the blog Writes Like A Girl. I was instantly drawn to her great photography, stylish outfits, and general aesthetic but the second I saw her monthly series ‘small goals’ I was inspired. I grabbed my notepad and wrote down a few things I wanted to accomplish in the coming month.

Fast forward a few weeks I’m watching random TED talks on youtube. I started with one and when it ended youtube just started playing another. I like to have shows on in the background while I edit photos so I just let them roll. Some were interesting, some I completely tuned out and then there was one that really struck a chord – Inside the mind of a master procrastinator by  Tim Urban. It’s less than fifteen minutes long and definitely worth watching. I’m a pretty darn proficient procrastinator. I don’t enjoy being one, I’d much rather not stress about things at the very last minute but at least I know I’m able to pull it together when I need to. Anyway in the talk he explains in a fun way how being a procrastinator works, and that he had shared this on his blog in a very lighthearted way. Thousands of people responded but told him how troubling being a procrastinator for them is when they don’t have a deadline. How you can have so many things you’d like to do but don’t necessarily have to do therefore that panic of “I have to get this done!” never sets in… and then you never start at all.

I totally get that. I have tons of little projects brewing in my brain but no real push to put them into action. Writing down and sharing my goals here on the blog is a huge reason why I think I’m able to accomplish so many of the ones I make each year but what about the ones I’m not positive I can pull off, the ones I just never write down, or the ones that seem like too much of a short term goal to write on a year long list? Well, they’re the reason I’m starting a monthly goal series. Consider this a way I can help hold myself accountable, a reason to do the things I actually want to do but don’t need to.

May Goals

  • Watch 7 new TED talks. I already told you I like things on in the background while I work so maybe instead of watching the same movies over and over I could be learning something new. I recommend watching the one I linked above if you’d like to join me in this goal. I also really enjoyed this one by Laura Vanderkam on how to gain control of your free time!
  • Take a hike. By myself, with Klaus, with Jeff, with family… it doesn’t matter. I’m surrounded by beautiful parks it’s a bummer to not use them.
  • Start on a new fabric collection. I guess technically you could say I already have started on my next fabric collection since I’ve been collecting beach finds specifically for this reason but now it’s about putting the plan in action. I have no idea how quickly everything will fall into place but I’d like to at least get the fabric ordered by the end of the month.
  • Buy nothing except food, gas + pet supplies. Last month sucked financially for the simple fact that I owed a lot more in taxes than I thought I would. It was a shock, to say the least. My main priority this year is to leave the country for a few days. Not just Canada, but like a “real” vacation. That means a lot more to me than a pack of pens or a cute dress from Target. So I might as well put every penny toward it. On one hand this goal sounds incredibly easy but I also know how Target and TJ Maxx suck me in so we’ll see how this goes. Note: fabric in this case counts as a necessity since it’s another one of my goals.
  • Shoot one outfit post per week. The weather is warming up and I have no excuse not to be shooting at least one new outfit post per week!

How about you? What do you want to accomplish this month?
xoxo

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tiny, temporary art installation of beach trash

by Kaylah Stroup

beach trash, lake erie,

It happens every year. When the warm weather comes around I remember just how much I love spending time at the beach. I remember just how relaxing it is for me just to wander the shore, listen to the waves crash, and search for colorful items that have washed ashore to make arrangements. I literally blog about this same thing every single year but somehow the realization is completely new and exciting each time. Every year I discover that this is my happy place.

I’ve been spending a lot of time at the beach these last few weeks. Because you should always take time for the things that make you happy and ground you. We’ve had some pretty awesome storms recently which always washes in an abundance of crap from the lake. The beach has been a mess which I guess works in my favor. I’ve been gathering beach finds for another round of limited edition pouches. My first batch was really awesome but so far I’ve gotten some real gems that I can’t wait to work with.

While searching for interesting pieces for my project I’ve also been picking up lots of kind of normal, not so exciting things as well. When I went to lay out my finds on this particular day I didn’t really have much that worked together in a single arrangement so I ended making a few. It turned into a tiny, temporary art exhibit of sorts. It wasn’t something I planned but now I want to do it over, do it larger, and with a thought out plan.

beach trash, plastic combs, lake erie beach trash, beachcombing microplastic beach trash, rainbow, beachcombing

For a spur of the moment idea, I think it turned out pretty neat. Someone who happened to show up at the beach as I was finishing up even managed to find me on instagram later and comment on my little installation which felt pretty neat. When I returned two days later it was still standing, although you could tell the waves had washed some sand over a few rows of lighters. It makes me wonder how many other people stumbled upon it. I wonder what they thought…

Check out more of my beach trash arrangements here.

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abandoned china factory

by Kaylah Stroup

dishes in abandoned china factory

I’ve been holding on to these photos for way too long. It’s one of those sets of photos I just knew I couldn’t possibly describe correctly and wanted to keep all to myself. I like them too much to never share though…

A month or so ago Jeff, Jake, and I spent the day exploring. We had a decent sized list of places we at least wanted to cruise by. Some we knew were do-able, others were a bit of a long shot. We eventually ended up about fifteen minutes away from this place, an abandoned china factory. The spot that had led us close by ended up being a bust so we decided to just keep driving. Jeff had been here a few years earlier but Jake and I had never been. Despite really digging the photos I had seen of it, I was always under the impression it was further away from home than it really is so it was never really a huge priority to me but from the second we walked in I was in awe. Dishes upon dishes. Many of them unbroken, and still stacked. In regard to things left behind, this might be one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. (Another favorite would definitely be the rubber duck factory, of course!)

I thought the dishes would be the clear highlight of the factory. I couldn’t imagine what else would be as interesting… then we got upstairs. I found a sheet of decals on the floor that Jake and I were like “Oh! Look these must be how they decorate the plates and mugs. How neat.” We took turns shooting the single sheet. What we didn’t realize was that the whole room in front of us was FILLED with them! Drawers upon drawers of decals for diners, for special events, with flowers, with maps, with intricate designs. They littered the floor yet most of the drawers were still filled. I guess I’ve never really thought about how plates or mugs get the designs they have on them but here were thousands of them!

Between all of the remaining buildings on the property, I saw molds, decals, silkscreens, blank dishes, finished products, kilns, and more. It was incredibly interesting to me to be able to see so many steps of the process. I’ve been in my fair share of factories but none with as much of a story left behind. After the factory closed there was an auction to clear out inventory so its a little bit strange to me that there is still so much left. Even today there is a ton that could still be salvaged. Doesn’t it just break your heart to see those beautiful drawers left to rot?

plates in abandoned china factory

Two more interesting things – one significantly more interesting than the other.

  • X-rays! There was a pile of them on the floor still in their original envelopes, labeled with names and dates. They were of employee’s lungs. Judging by the box of unused x-ray film found nearby it seems this might have been an in-house operation checking to make sure the employees weren’t dealing with any adverse effects from production. It’s so wild to me that when this place closed up no one thought to dispose of these medical records properly.
  • One of my favorite things to find in abandoned factories – newspaper articles attached to the wall. This sort of thing makes it so much easier to imagine that people really did work here at one point. To me, it’s just an empty factory but this was previously a place where people spent a good portion of their life.

This factory turned out to be one of my favorite adventures to date. I can’t believe after all these years of being abandoned that there aren’t more broken dishes. I’m thankful the people before me didn’t make too much of a mess and hopeful the people after me won’t end up ruining it for everyone else.

Check out the abandoned tag for more grime.

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what I wore : a food baby

by Kaylah Stroup

Sharing outfit photos can be scary. There are a lot of people who think that because something is published or otherwise put out into the world that it’s up for debate or open to criticism. People tend to forget that behind every single thing there is a real person who is potentially reading these things, and being affected. It doesn’t even have to be a huge deal, a simple off handed comment can shift how someone thinks for the worst.

A year or so ago I shared a photo of Jeff and I. It was an adorable photo with a caption about our half anniversary but someone left a comment asking if I was expecting*. That caused me to look super closely at my body in that photo… and in every single photo I shared ever after that. My stomach is not flat. It never will be. I’m not pregnant…and I never plan to be. It shouldn’t be necessary for me to have to examine my body closely and meticulously before sharing photos for fear that someone will ask if last night’s sushi is a baby or comment that my knees are ugly. (Yes, that really happened. And yeah, that made me self conscious for a while until I realized that you have to be a real dingus to make fun of someone’s knees. I mean, THEY’RE KNEES. For the record, my knees look just like everyone’s knees)

Comments like these are why everything gets photoshopped. Why Madonna is photoshopped to look twenty years younger, why apps like facetune even exist, why bloggers edit out their pimples, and on, and on, and on. You can’t comment on these stupid things and also be outraged at the fact people photoshop themselves into oblivion. It just doesn’t work that way.

I’m mentioning all this because immediately after thinking “Oh, these turned out cute” my next thought was “Shoot, someone is going to ask if I’m pregnant. I just know it.” And then “darn it, you can really see the dye on my scalp.” I started trying to fix the dye along my hairline so my head didn’t look so blue but realized I definitely have better things to do. I have no reason to be ashamed that there is dye on my scalp. It happens. Every time I dye my hair, my scalp is the same color as my hair for a few days. I also have no reason to try and hide the fact my stomach isn’t completely flat. I love food. I eat well. So what?

I always feel a little nervous to share this sort of commentary. I don’t want to stir the pot or draw negative attention to myself but I definitely want to use my platform to remind people to be better to others. Nobodies life is all peaches and cream. Everyone struggles. Why add to that with silly little nitpicks? Do your best to raise other people up. Comment on the good things, instead of the “bad”! I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite little sayings…

“You shouldn’t point out things about people’s appearances if they can’t fix it in ten seconds.”

for your viewing pleasure, dye on my scalp.

details
shirt – TJ Maxx
sweater – Moorea Seal
glasses – Louise via Warby Parker
pins – Jim Carrey via Two Ghouls Press, Pizza c/o Moorea Seal, Tooth via Hooptedoodle
jeans – TJ Maxx (similar pair)
boots – Palladium Boots c/o Urban Outfitters

*For the love of dog, STOP ASKING PEOPLE IF THEY ARE PREGNANT. If they want you to know, they’ll tell you. Otherwise, it’s none of yer bee’s wax. Even if you think you’re being friendly, it’s just intrusive. Women aren’t simply baby machines. I could rant about this subject for years but we should probably save that for another day.

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found on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup


The weather here in Cleveland is finally warming up, at least for now. Everyone knows we’ll probably get at least one last surprise snow storm because that’s just what happens here. The warm-ish weather had me aching to get back to the beach. It’s been so long since my last found on the beach arrangement but I am back in action… and kind of completely hooked all over again!

The last few times I had been to the beach it was actually very clean. It seemed like the park was on the up and up! There were new picnic benches, a fancy pants wooden fence, and most noticeably of all, it was clean. This beach that was previously covered in driftwood, and trash was actually somewhere people might want to go again.

Well, winter did a number on the beach. It was gross… but perfect for picking! I found lots of colorful things, and had lots of fun ideas brewing about how I’d lay everything out for photos. While trying to avoid a group of people who seemed to be wandering my way (I had crazy morning hair and was picking up trash, not really in ideal people meetin’ mode) I walked out onto a small breakwall. The gloomy sky mixed with the dark rocks immediately made me realize it was the perfect spot to lay all my colorful finds. It’s been a great deal of time since my last found on the beach arrangement, and this certainly isn’t my largest but the photos are definitely some of my favorites!

A quick found on the beach FAQ

  1. You found all this stuff in one trip?  Sadly, yes. This isn’t even a quarter of it either.
  2. What do you do with all after your done? Normally I toss it in the trash. Sometimes I may take certain pieces with me if I think they’ll look cool in a future arrangement. On rare occasions I leave it as I photographed it. I’m still not sure which side of the fence I fall on here. It’s a bit counteractive since it’s still on the beach after I spent the time to pick it up but maybe others finding it and seeing what an issue plastic is, and possibly getting a kick out of the fact that someone made something colorful and fun from trash, is better than it sitting in a landfill forever. I don’t know.
  3. Do you wear gloves when you pick all this trash up? No, I don’t. These are things that are washed up from the lake, not just left on shore. They’re no dirtier than the sand or water. That’s not to say I don’t sanitize my hands as soon as I get back in my car though…

Kinda sorta obsessed with this shot of the colorful trash with my bright white Palladium boots. I purposely put the white trash at the bottom of the arrangement so my shoes would start the gradient.

In all my beach combing days I’ve never found so many army men and animals in one single trip. Right after taking the photo below I ended finding a little red dinosaur a few feet away. Kind of makes me way to break my “don’t keep any trash” rule. I feel like a jar of beat up plastic soldiers would look pretty darn neat on my shoulder.*** For the time being they’re in my car since I’m hoping to possibly do another found on the beach fabric, and maaaybe postcards? We’ll see. I had a pretty large collection of interesting beach finds stored up for those types of projects but I got rid of it all when I moved because it just seemed weird. Now I’m kind of kicking myself but I guess it just means I get a fresh start on the project!

I want to say that you’ll be sure to see lots more of these arrangements in the coming months but hopefully the park gets back to it cleaning routine once the weather warms up for good.
xoxo

***I literally had coffee come out my nose when I read over this post and finally caught that. I don’t know why in the world I originally typed “shoulder” instead of “shelf” but it made me laugh so hard that I have to leave it. Brain, what you doin?!

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what I’ve been reading…

by Kaylah Stroup

Without a doubt, buying a Kindle was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Throughout the years I’ve gone through different phases with reading. For the longest time I hated reading (thanks to being forced to read things I didn’t like in school) then I read obsessively. The last two years my numbers have been pretty low but things have definitely taken a turn since buying a Kindle. I’m finally at a point where I feel like I’m reading the perfect amount for me!

I swear I read so much faster on my Kindle, and the fact that I’m never without a book kind of rules. I can’t tell you how many times in the past I’d be somewhere, finish a book, and not have a new one to start but still have to carry around the weight of the one I finished. Books obviously aren’t that heavy but in my mind as soon as I’ve finished it it’s just dead weight, ya know? Now I basically always have at least three new books ready to read as soon as I finish my current and it adds no extra weight to my bag! I really can’t say enough good things about the Kindle Paperwhite. If you’re on the fence just go for it, you’re going to love it!

What I’ve been reading… 
▴  Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud by Elizabeth Greenwood. Think the idea of faking your own death is exciting? Me too. That’s why I chose to read this book. Don’t worry though (Hi Mom!) this kind of changed my thoughts on the whole idea. In this book you read about lots of different people from the guy who helps folks fake their own death -for a handsome fee, of course – to the guy in charge of investigating whether or not someone is actually dead to the people who tried faking their death, and obviously failed for one reason or another. It was a super interesting read!

▴ Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. For the longest time people have been telling me to read this book. I hesitated because I honestly couldn’t remember if I had read it or not already since I’d read so many books on the funeral industry. At some point they kind of all just blur together. I finally downloaded it on my Kindle and within a few pages I realized I definitely had not read it before. I was in love with her writing immediately. The book was filled with bits of morbid humor but also lots of interesting ideas that really make you think. While telling her story, which is interesting enough on it’s own, Caitlin Doughty makes so many important points about how our culture views, and essentially tries to hide death. If you read one book on the funeral industry, make it this one!

▴ Riding Fury Home by Chana Wilson. This is a memoir by a woman who had a really rough childhood. Her mother was suicidal and she basically had to become the parent since her mother wasn’t able to take care of herself any longer. Many years later she learns that her mother’s anguish was because was in love with another woman. This wasn’t exactly a time in history when coming out as a lesbian was accepted and her mom dealt with some really horrible things in mental hospitals because of it. That’s the first half of the book. The second half is the author’s relationship with her mother as an adult after learning her story. I enjoyed the first half of the book. It was a little depressing, of course, but otherwise interesting. The second half of the book kind of dragged on and on for me though.

▴ Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K Randall. This book is a super interesting look at one of the most important parts of everyone’s life – sleep! I loved this book and came away with a ton of factoids to ramble at Jeff about. I would recommend this book if you’re a fan of Mary Roach. I mean, he’s no Mary Roach, duh, but I’d venture to guess if you like her books you might like this one too.

▴ Sex Object by Jessica Valenti. I had really high hopes for this book. Everywhere I looked I was being recommended that I read it. Basically every book I looked at on Amazon was like “Oh, you like this book? TrySex Object!” I’m not sure what I expected but I spent most of my time reading this wishing it was over because it made me feel uneasy. I probably wouldn’t recommend this one.

I woke Professor up specifically for this photo. You are welcome.

What have you been reading? 
xoxo 

Check out my ‘books‘ tag if you’re looking for more recommendations! 

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