Stuff I Love // March

We’re well into March, and I figured it was about time for another installment of Stuff I Love! There are actually way more things that I’m loving right now than I could possibly list here without losing all of my followers except my parents, so I’m going to have scale back a little. This week is my birthday week (hooray! Pisces represent!), so of course I’m pretty pumped about that. But I also love all that the month of March represents to me… Daylight Savings Time, sunshine and warmer weather (FINALLY), spring blooms, colorful clothes at Target, cleaning and organizing my house, St. Patrick’s Day (more to come on that!), leaving the coats at home, sitting outside on our porch in the evenings, getting geared up for the return of wedding season, and so much more. But for now, I’ll share just 4 of the things I’ve been obsessed with lately:

1. Taco Mama

This new(ish) spot in Crestline Village has quickly become one of my favorite places to eat in Birmingham. I love the Mexican cantina-style food and I always order a taco basket with one Cheesy Beef taco and one Mayor taco (chicken with creamy cilantro-pesto and queso fresco), and it comes with chips and salsa AND a side. For $7.00. Can’t beat it! You should definitely go follow them on Facebook, because they will torture you with their updates like “Have you had your taco today?” and “You + Friday = Margarita”, and sure enough you’ll find yourself driving to Crestline to satisfy the craving you now have. Power of suggestion at its finest.

2. 30 Rock

Once again, I have Netflix to thank for introducing me to a show I never watched when it was actually on TV. Not sure why, since it came on right after The Office, and I watched that faithfully up until the teary goodbye between Michael and Pam in the airport, but I guess maybe it was because I didn’t quite get the concept and didn’t know what the fuss was about. Well nerds ;), I totally get it now! I of course have adored Tina Fey for some time (along with Amy Poehler… I mean, did you see the Golden Globes?!), but I honestly wasn’t aware of the extent of her brilliance until I began watching 30 Rock episodes while editing. Pretty much only Napoleon Dynamite can compete when it comes to being jam-packed with one-liners, and granted, these one-liners are definitely more intelligent. ;) I’m beginning to feel like there’s a Liz Lemon-ism for almost every occasion. For a guy wanting to buy you a drink in a bar: “Really? I already have a drink. Do you think he’d buy me mozzarella sticks?” For winter: “Ugh, I hate January. It’s dark and freezing and everyone’s wearing bulky coats. You can do some serious subway flirting before you realize the guy is homeless.” A woman who has a deep and shameless love for television and food is my kind of woman, so thank you, Mrs. Tina, for introducing Liz Lemon to me and the rest of the world.

3. The Meyers-Briggs Personality Test

Recently, my friend Helen brought a book over to our house that kind of rocked my world. It’s called Do What You Are, and it’s basically about determining your personality type and how to pursue a career that best suits it. I had actually never taken a Meyers-Briggs personality test, so I was a little intrigued and wanted to figure mine out immediately. (I get a little too excited about tests, guys.) As it turns out, I’m an INFJ, and out of all 16 types, we are the rarest and make up only 1-3% of the population. I won’t get into all the details about what each of the letters (called dichotomies) means for each type, but INFJ stands for Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, and Judgement. And what the authors of the book proceeded to write about my tendencies and nature, and what career path I’m cut out for, was downright EERIE. Just when you think you’re one of a kind, you read 15 pages of a book that map out your entire personality, followed by a comprehensive description of the career you’re already pursuing. It’s weird. Really, really weird. But cool at the same time, because it definitely helped me understand why I do what I do and confirmed that photography really is one of the best jobs I could have based on that.

Here’s what my profile looks like. INFJs are called the “counselors” and “idealists.” They tend to be quiet and reserved and prefer having a few close friends to a wide circle of acquaintances. They focus on the big picture rather than the details, and tend to value personal considerations over objective facts, giving more weight to social implications than logic. They also like to plan their activities, make decisions early, and have control over things in general… they’re perfectionists. They’re extremely independent, and they’re generally doers as well as dreamers. They tend to be overly sensitive and easily hurt, but they’re guarded with expressing their feelings and don’t deal well with interpersonal conflict. They also tend to be creative and easily inspired. Generally speaking, they work best in an environment that allows them to be independent and make their own decisions about how things should be done, and they’re drawn to work that both helps others and allows them to express their creativity. In other words, “My name is Morgan and I’m an INFJ to a T and it makes perfect sense that I’m a self-employed photographer.” Whoa. Guess who else is an INFJ? Martin Luther King, Jr., Ron Paul, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gandhi, Woody Allen, the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, and Amélie (!!!). But supposedly so are Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Scar from The Lion King, and Edward Cullen… so take that with a grain of salt. ;)

If you’ve never taken the Meyers-Briggs test, I highly recommend it, especially if you find yourself at a crossroads career-wise or otherwise. It’s also extremely helpful in understanding your loved ones better based on their types.

4. With Bear Hands art

My friend Sarah introduced me to the art of Knoxville native Beth Meadows a little while back, and it’s safe to say I’m pretty much have a stalker-level obsession with her work. When I look at her paintings, I feel like she climbed into my brain, figured out everything I love, and put it on a canvas in the most aesthetically-pleasing way. From her use of color (I love a good midcentury-inspired color palette, as we all know), to the sometimes dark subject matter, to the way she captures the modern hipster life…. I just love it all! I picked out 3 of her prints last weekend as a birthday present from my parents, and I can’t wait to get them framed and hung in our living room. Go check out her website and her Etsy shop. (And if you’re in Knoxville, see her work in person at the new Nostalgia on McCalla!) Now to start saving my pennies to be able to afford one of her originals….

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So tell me, what have YOU been loving lately?