Guest Post with Shell of Kitty and Buck!

If you haven't heard of my lovely friend Shell already, she has kindly agreed to guest post on Lovely Llorys! I think it's a great way to start off the new year: ) If you aren't already following Kitty and Buck, now's the time to start reading. Shell is a super talented graphic designer and photographer and she has inspiring and engaging posts. I love the wordless weekend posts, they always allow me to just stop what I'm doing, relax, look at some gorgeous photos, and reflect on what's important. Oh, plus she's Australian! Such an intriguing and wonderful person! For her guest post, I asked Shell a few questions. So here's our Q&A:

Tell us a little about yourself, like where you live, hobbies, and where we can find you when you aren't blogging!
My name is Shell, affectionately known as Kitty :) I currently live in Sydney, Australia and have also called London home. I'm a graphic designer by day, creating motion graphics for television. Far more importantly though, my passions are playing music, photography, dancing (mainly ballet), travel, nature and my cats. My favourite things to do when I'm not stuck behind a computer include pilfering thrift stores, taking day trips out of this big city and of course, hanging out with my best friend who also happens to be my fiance!

Why did you start blogging and what keeps you going? What's been the coolest/strangest/best thing to come of your blog?
I started blogging very soon after discovering the whole blogging world. I started reading blogs such as The Dainty Squid, Love Elycia and A Beautiful Mess and thought it would be a great way to push myself to do more creative work outside of my job. The coolest 'side effect' of blogging, which I was not expecting at all, has been to meet so many new people, who I can call friends! The hardest part will be next time I travel, it might turn into a blogging buddy tour, ha!

So you live in Australia! What do you love or not-like-so-much about it?
Australia. Let's make a list, I love lists:
What I hate: (these are vast generalisations, there are of course many exceptions)
Cultural cringe - no, we do not 'throw a shrimp on the barbie', they're actually called prawns. We don't have pet kangaroos, we are not in the middle of the desert. We aren't like some eccentric country cousins. The media (and our own perceptions and insecurities) have done us wrong and we cringe!
Tall Poppy Syndrome - Australian's don't like different. Anyone who stands out from the crowd, or is smarter than average, or achieves a level of success above average is cut down. By any means necessary Don't reach your head above the average line, you will be taken down like a tall poppy. I hope this is changing. It's a horrible thing that I notice here more than anywhere I have been.
Cost of Living - Sydney rivals Tokyo (I think we came second after Tokyo?) as one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. Living in Sydney compares to choosing Manhattan as your home. Ridiculously expensive clothes, food, rent/house prices and transport.

The koala bear is a generalization I like!! So cute!

What I love: (more generalisations)
Our beaches - I do not visit the beach often, I'm pretty sensitive to the heat and sun, and I don't fancy a sunburn. But our beaches are beautiful, it is true. I appreciate them even though I don't use them a lot.
Our socialised medicine and education systems - It does not matter how much money my parents earned, I had a right as a student to a loan system for tuition fees for university. Anyone can attend tertiary collage with no upfront costs as long as they have the marks required to enter the course. I paid my tuition back to the government after I graduated and earned a certain amount of money. I have access to free medical care when I am sick, so I never have to be afraid to visit a doctor or get a prescription (medicine is subsidised too).

I've seen on your blog that you've been to the U.S., what are some major differences (or similarities) between us?
Something that's different in the U.S. is that there are a lot more people, so it seems that less common tastes and activities still find a community and thrive a little better. I noticed even in small towns, people were into their own thing and didn't care so much about what people thought about that. I think in Australia people are generally more self conscious and stick to a 'bigger' group.

Photo Shell took at an old Massachusetts cemetery. She's probably been to more of the U.S. than me!

Another difference is, that in the U.S. each state has it's own identity. It's woven into the landscape, you can sense when you cross those state lines. Because the population is spread fairly evenly across the country, you can drive for a couple of hours and be in a completely different place. In Australia you can drive for 12 hours and it's like you've made no progress at all. There's a same-ness to towns and even cities, that makes it hard to distinguish. Of course, each city has it's own persona but none are dramatically different from another. Geographically we are around the same size, but imagine if 80% of your population lived on the east coast between Orlando and New York. That is how unevenly we are populated across the country!

Thanks to Shell for answering our questions! We can't wait to see what Kitty and Buck will bring in 2013 and especially where your travels take you!

(All photos borrowed from Shell's blog!)

Currently

I am definitely borrowing an idea from Shell over at Kitty and Buck today with this "currently" post. Check out Shell's blog, you'll be getting to know her a little better on Lovely Llorys pretty soon!

My final Hostess purchase. Also, I can't believe it was THAT big of a deal! Who even eats it anymore??

Watching
Andrew has introduced me to so many great television shows and movies throughout our relationship. We are currently watching four shows. Dexter - I am not as thrilled with this show anymore at this point, but this season is pretty great since Dexter doesn't seem to be afraid to tell anyone and everyone about his dark passenger. Homeland - I LOVE Claire Danes in this show and it is so captivating! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! How I Met Your Mother - I've said it before and I'll say it again - this show is so relevant to my life. The jokes are hilarious. So good. And last but not least, Parks and Rec! We are on season 3 right now - for some reason I just never bothered to watch it until now. Oh Amy Poehler, how I have so so much respect and admiration for you now. And if the Daniel Craig man pillow truly exists, someone point me in that direction!

Listening to
For a Music Business major, I have really been lacking in the new music apartment. I feel ashamed about this. Anyway, I have been listening to NPR. Where I'm originally from in Michigan, we didn't get the Michigan Radio station, but since I've discovered it in Grand Rapids, I've been one of those "I heard on NPR..." people. Makes me feel so intelligent! The music I've been listening to lately consists of embarrassing pop music (Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber), The Beatles, and the new Sufjan Christmas album!

Planning
Hmm, if only I had some exciting plans. I am planning my holiday shopping budget for one. My mom and I go Black Friday shopping as a tradition, so that's a plan in itself. I also am planning to finally get a real job. I've been trying for months, but I have a couple leads, so I'm really excited! And nervous, but hopefully I can make a lasting impression.

Thinking about
Planning something big to look forward to! As in, a vacation! We were looking at plane tickets to random destinations, and Costa Rica popped up as a possible spring break destination. I've never been to that part of the world, so rather than hitting up our old friend Florida, we are considering that!
We are also thinking about getting a cat! I will obviously post more if that ends up happening. We found one we really like at the shelter the other day, so we're crossing our fingers!

Looking forward to
Thanksgiving! I can't wait to go home and see my family, friends, and kitties! One of my best friends, Colleen is home from California, and I cannot wait to see her. Just one more day before we head over. I'm also excited to see Lincoln when we are home this weekend!

Reading
Funny you should ask! I have been taking foreverrrr to read the third book in the Game of Thrones series even though I know it will be so good once I can really dive into it. Maybe I'll have some time this weekend to read. But it's funny because a few friends and I are starting a book/classic movie club! Andrew gets to pick the first book, so we are anxiously awaiting his choice! I choose fourth out of 4, haha. I'd love ideas for great book club books so I can blow everyone away with my choice!

Making me happy
Playing Just Dance 4 on the new Wii U and finally feeling like I'm getting a little exercise. New friends and a new iPhone. Making something of my blog. Thanksgiving being just two days away. Parks and Rec; every episode makes me smile.


Happy almost weekend! (If you are lucky enough to enjoy the long weekend). If not, I'm sorry you have to work and I hope people are really nice to you!