Textual Weblog

Life By Diana

2012-02-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

The first roll of Diana film is done. I guess I need to figure out how to get the shutter moving faster... maybe some trigger finger exercises.

A Dance With E-Books

2012-02-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself a Kindle.

Will wonders never cease!

The first indication I needed one was about halfway through the most recent Game of Thrones tome, A Dance With Dragons. [Fig. A] Weighing in at about 54 pounds and with a wingspan of approximately 27 inches long, it took its own bag to heft to and from work via the subway.

On the other hand, why get an e-reader? The popularity of the HBO series has made it acceptable to read the book in public, which removes the purpose of trying to hide the cover with technology. (Not to go all BACK IN MY DAY… but I started these books in 9th grade, when it was a freakish and hilarious thing to see a relatively normal looking lady reading a thick fantasy novel in plain view of… anyone.)

[Fig. A]

Anyway, the experience of trying to enjoy that novel on a whim while commuting just deadened me to subway reading. I'm nearly done with this one now (it's great), but again the hard cover'd, heavy nature of the thing is keeping me from taking it along wherever I go.

Enter the Kindle.

I had never wanted to get an e-reader because I'm one of those incredibly exhausting people who enjoys the act of reading a book or a newspaper. (Believe me, I realize how goddamn annoying that sounds.) After all, pretty much everything else in my life has gone digital, so being able to smell a book and flip through pages is a nice way to physically connect to what's becoming a lost pastime.

But whatever, books are fucking bulky.

I'm going to try out a NYPL card to take out e-books online. And if that doesn't work, Amazon Prime has a nice deal where you can pay $80/year to rent one book a month. Luckily, I have cultivated a rather fascinating and bizarre reading list to get through. A lot of those are "for keeps" coffee table-style books, but we'll give it the ol' e-book college try.

Let's see how this goes. Anyone have any Kindle tips for me? I'm not buying a case at the moment, which might be a bad move for a klutz.

Sweet and Innocent

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

My two newest crafty achievements (flower crown and cross stitch), plus a nailpolish I'm sweating this week. My nails look like a fish, or a gilded Roman slave. [Am I the only one who watches the Starz Spartacus oeuvre? Guess so.]

Tinkering Around Brooklyn

2012-01-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was engineered around using up a Groupon for the Cobble Hill Cinemas. Down we headed from North Brooklyn into the perfect brownstone'd south.

First was brunch at Prime Meats. After only two visits, it's definitely one of my favorite restaurants in New York. I had poached eggs and smoked salmon over grits, and a side of mushroom spätzle (SERIOUS WORM ALERT). Plus I had a little glass (ok, TWO, ok?) of the brunch punch, which changes every weekend—this time, it was some mix of gin, Aperol, green tea, and other delicious things.

One of the reasons I love the place is its colonial interior and turn of the century details.

After, we walked around Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill. I'd never been around the Gowanus Canal before, so we crossed it to check out Film Biz, a prop shop where you can rent or buy used goodies.

Then to the cinema for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

I had wanted to see the movie for a while (helllo, Colin Firth in a British spy novel movie? Talk to me later). It was strange, though—I'd heard all about the movie's "Mid-Century" sets. But the costumes kept confusing me because I could have sworn we were watching a movie set in the '70s. When I got home, lo and behold—it was set in 1973, but the costume and art departments wanted it to seem natural. As in, when the '70s hit, nobody threw out all their Mid-Century stuff. The result is a great mix of '50, '60 and '70s costumes, sets and hair/makeup.

The movie itself was confusing, with quick scene changes and a long list of characters we had to keep straight. I do recommend it for the beautiful costumes and sets alone. And Gary Oldman.

(movie images)

Lushous

2012-01-25T20:39:00.004-05:00

As an entry level hedonist, I find extreme joy in buying as much Lush as I can get my hot little hands on.

What's better than opening up the ol' medicine cabinet and getting a hit of pure botanical handmade cosmetic smell? Aaand a lot of Lush's stuff melts or has crazy consistencies that allow you to feel like a mad scientist experimenting in your bathroom. Plus, the packaging. Just look at how cute it is.

The first, and falling under the aforementioned lab project category, is the Ginger and fennel sugar scrub.

I bought this because it smells like Heaven, but now the website is telling me it's great for stimulating my skin. Excellent. I get to put it in a miso soup takeout container and occasionally scoop green goop onto my body. What's the most interesting thing YOU've done in the shower recently?

(Don't answer that.)

My favorite shampoo, Big.

I love the texture (it feels like sea salt and then melts into your hair) and the smell. Plus, it de-grimes your head. I don't need a volumizing shampoo, so I just keep coming back thanks to the other great stuff about it.

My most recent purchases were the cleanser and an eye cream. Figured I might as well start an eye cream now, to prevent future wrinkle freakouts. The cleanser takes off every stitch of my makeup and leaves my skin soft.

(Check it out: each bottle has a sticker with the guy or girl who made it. Servicey.)

Introducing... Marilyn. Made with chamomile, it's a hair mask for blonde hair. It smells like tea, so I sometimes have problems not licking it off my head.

My favorite face mask, Catastrophe Cosmetic. Chunks of blueberries, what more do you want.

Lush is pricey, but I love it. Maybe I'll start returning some of these empty pots for free stuff (another amazing bonus).

TREAT YOSELF.

Washi on the Job

2012-01-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

Putting my washi tape to use on some Pyrex prints.

(Mr. walrus plate and a handmade unicorn silhouette cross stitch)

Brunch Pizza

2012-01-16T12:00:00.003-05:00

For someone born and raised in Chicago, schooled in Boston and living in New York, I have a startlingly impressive ability to forget how cold the winters can get. This weekend was the first really cold one of the season, and I felt it.

To keep warm, I spent Saturday afternoon with the boyfriend's family. They tried Pies 'N' Thighs for the first time, saw both our apartments and got to know The Gutter. I also saw Real Estate and Girls at Terminal 5, which is apparently the best venue in the country? Har. News to me.

Pre-show dinner at 5 Napkin. Where's Waldo?

And Sunday, I saw that apartment. The space itself was cool, but I don't relish living in Bushwick. I did get a brunch at Roberta's out of the whole thing, however. BRUNCH. PIZZA. Haven't been? Get thee hence immediately.

Awards season kicked off with the Golden Globes. For me, that means intensive Red Carpet coverage and a flashy, loose glitter manicure.

(Also, in what universe does Bryan Cranston not win for Breaking Bad? At least the Lannisters took home some gold.)

Click these guys and give 'em a shot:

Do What You Want

2012-01-13T12:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday, troops. This weekend, boyfriend's family is visiting for brunch and sightseeing. And I have big plans for my Diana Mini... mainly, taking pictures with it. Let's see if everybody can get through the ridiculous cold front we're expecting.

ALSO we've unofficially started the apartment search. Eeee! My lease is up at the end of March, but we stumbled on an amazing (judging by the Craigslist post...) loft that's ready to go for March 1st. I emailed the building manager, so we'll see what happens. Of course, I already started a Google Doc with every possible column mapped out for future listings. #OCD

This is good:

Do What You Want - Cheerleader

(via)

Season of the Witch

2012-01-12T11:30:00.002-05:00

I want to live in this video.

Music, meh. Witchy Stevie costumes, SEVEN THUMBS UP.

(via)

Saved

2012-01-11T13:01:00.002-05:00

ASOS has this lovely—and dangerous—feature where you can save an item for 30 days. I drop things in there and check back every once and a while to see if they're on sale. Here's my list.

(Side note: I want an app that lets me drop a bunch of items from all different shops into one list. Then, it will notify me when any of the items go on sale. Can I trademark an idea? Someone make that app.)

Bow

Flowers

Red lace

Raincoat in either color

Midi dots

Warby Parker, II

2012-01-08T14:59:00.000-05:00

Crikey. Ignore the painfully awkward feeling behind this photoshoot and instead steel your mind toward deciding which you prefer. Keep in mind these are clear lenses and trial frames, so everything looks a little wonky and crooked.

On the one hand, we have Option A: "Crosby."

On the other, Option B: "Thatcher."

It's hard to tell, but Option B is actually a tortoiseshell pattern. I think Option B is my choice.

A?

B.

A

Or B!

Warby Parker

2012-01-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks mostly, I assume, to the gnarly florescent lighting at work and my habit of wearing contacts from 7AM until 11PM or whenever I go to bed, my eyes are SHOT. My contacts despise me and frequently hurt, itch, cause vision problems and make me cry.

Lovely.

I've switched to mostly wearing glasses during the week, which not only relaxes my eyes but also gives me a rather studious (maybe a bit peevish, too) look. And since I wear glasses about five days out of the week now, I thought I should invest in a second pair. Keep things fresh, ya know.

My first thought was Warby Parker, an online glasses dealer who can do frames and prescription lenses (complete with high index coating or process, or whatever it takes to compress my Coke bottle lenses into a manageable size) for around $135. Not bad.

Warby Parker does this great Home Try On system where you pick five frames and they'll send them for a free, five day loan. I tried this a few months ago and didn't find anything I liked enough. But with a new vision (hah), I decided to try it again.

What I want is a slightly bigger, chunkier frame than what I have now, with either black or a more pronounced tortoiseshell pattern. Is it weird that my frame inspiration is all men? Basically, I want to look like a German architect in the '60s.

Colin Firth in A Single Man

Christopher Plummer in Beginners

Buddy Holly

Jarvis Cocker

Yves Saint Laurent

Michael Caine

I know it's weird, but I already have a normal pair. I want SPECTACLES.

Ok, results later.

1 2 3 4 5 6

Online Shopping

2012-01-03T19:00:00.001-05:00

Yours truly only buys (nearly) identical shades of lipstick. I guess 2012 is the year of the orange/red.

Left Old Revlon Siren
Right New Topshop Infrared

Etsy Shop Update

2012-01-03T15:13:00.000-05:00

Lots of lacy lingerie in my Etsy shop. And a green coat to drape over it. Buy yourself some new (/very old) goodies. Go ahead.

Auld Lang Syne, dos

2012-01-01T13:04:00.001-05:00

Alriiiight, Twiggy makeup didn't work. Whomp whomp. I should have practiced. Instead I just tidied up the lash line, getting rid of the awkward eyelid crease line, and went on my way.

(Bee tee dubs, that is my black Rodarte for Target halter dress worn with the straps hanging down. Crafty, though I say it myself.)

Auld Lang Syne

2011-12-31T17:34:00.000-05:00

New Year's... Usually, I can take it or leave it. But tonight, I'm going to a Andy Warhol/The Factory/'60s-themed party at a bar thing. THEME PARTY? Where do I sign?

I went hog wild at the Mac store yesterday, so I'll hopefully be able to pull off a good Twiggy or Edie or some approximation of the two. Happy New Year's to all and to all a good fairytale ending.

Porcelain Dreams

2011-12-29T12:00:00.001-05:00

No matter how hard I scrub*, my bathroom floor always looks a bit dirty. The area beneath my clawfoot tub is impossible to reach without climbing under there. (And the whole bathroom is generally too dark to show off a clean floor, anyhow.) Shower curtains get soap scummy after a few days. Stainless steel anything is a joke as long as water or toothpaste exist in the vicinity.

Things have changed since I moved in, but here's the general look and feel of my salle de bain.

My ideal bathroom only exists in my head, alas.

Thus, I direct you to these gorgeous bathrooms, all of which feature a shiny clawfoot tub of my dreams. How do they get the floor that clean underneath?

Does anyone have a tip that doesn't involve me squeezing half my body into a space that hasn't been touched in (I can say confidently) at least two years? Maybe closer to ten, by the look of it? My Swiffer has tried and waved the white flag almost immediately.

*Disclaimer: I've only scrubbed really hard like, once. Then I realized it was fruitless. Obviously.

(See more apartment-y stuff at my Pinterest)

Christmas Vision

2011-12-27T19:00:00.003-05:00

SPEAKING of Christmas...!

Mine was terrific, thanks for asking.

I got to hang out with the family dogs:

Cook and bake:

Maple Pear Upside Down Cake

Chocolate cupcakes with peppermint frosting

And hang out with my family. It was bliss.

Among other presents, my parents gave me a Brooklyn Kitchen gift certificate (so I can repeat this experience with another class), and my sister used this very blog to find out what my Le Creuset color was. Genius.

Then, I got home yesterday to find my lovely boyfriend's lovely family had sent me presents, too. I'm one lucky girl.

Day After Vacation Soundtrack

2011-12-27T12:00:00.002-05:00

Dreary, quiet day back from the holidays. Here are two good albums to keep you company.

The Year of Hibernation - Youth Lagoon (One of my favorite albums this year.)

Don't Act Like You Don't Care - Luke Temple

The Manor Reborn

2011-12-20T09:00:00.006-05:00

Over the weekend, I discovered a rather delightful show called The Manor Reborn.

The premise is, a 500 year old manor gets a makeover. Or makeunder? Gets made back up as it should have looked?

It was great.

I had been in the mood for a long, relatively dry home improvement or historical drama show, so this completely hit the spot. My attention was piqued when I found out the manor was located in Avebury, a stone's throw from Bath and a place I had actually visited.

See?

My memory of the place mostly extends to... stones.

Anyway, the manor itself was a Tudor house that had Georgian details and a flashy owner in the '20s. That meant different rooms had different looks and styles—one was Tudor, with an intricately carved bed, and another a dining room with hand painted Chinese wallpaper.

The National Trust was hellbent on making the place into a casual environment where people can actually touch the furniture (antiques and new furniture that fits in with the period). I have personally never had a problem with NOT being allowed to jump on a bed in a historic stately home, but I suppose I don't work for the National Trust.

I liked how the presenters took us to different estates and stately homes around the UK to show how different residences in the same period looked. My British palace exploring has personally extended to Hampton Court and The Queen's Palaces, so this was a welcome addition. It also reminded me of Kirstie's Homemade Home, which was about Kirstie Allsopp using local craftspeople to redo her house.

Yes yes, I watch a lot of British household programming.

Anyway, I recommend The Manor Reborn if you're a history person, like watching home makeovers or want to see your boyfriend's eyes roll into the back of his head when you try to recap an episode. There was a particularly scintillating discussion on whether the ceiling decorations should have been painted or not. Poor guy.

(Image from here)

Pursechesed

2011-12-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Yaaaaaaaay I finally did it.

After sweating this bag for months and months, I weighed my options, drooled over pictures and bought myself a new purse from Valhalla.

And because my current makeup bag looks like this:

I got myself a new one so as to prevent the old bag's jagged paperclip zipper closure from ripping through the buttery lining in my perfect new bag.

Merry Christmas, ME!

Gypsy Christmas

2011-12-18T23:16:00.001-05:00

Ho ho ho!

And a Big Fat Gypsy Christmas to you and yours.

Second Place

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

My bake-off entry pulled a stone cold second place.

I had decided to do these salted caramel cupcakes again, only in mini form.

As someone who bakes relatively often, I'm ashamed to say I rarely use room temperature butter and eggs. I usually have to do a trick with cutting the butter into super small pieces, or melting it partway in a sauce pan. But this time, I did it properly. And holy shit did it make a difference.

The little mini cupcakes came out perfectly, light and fluffy with enough room for my avant garde (read: shitty) piping skills.

I need to ask Santa for a real piping kit. And I should probably watch a few YouTube videos.

Still, what's better than a moist cake with salted caramel frosting? Correct: not much.

Unhealthy Competition

2011-12-14T11:30:00.000-05:00

Baked some mini salted caramel cupcakes for an office holiday competition. Let's get it on.

Cocktail Christmas Party

2011-12-11T13:20:00.001-05:00

Last night a friend had a "cocktail" holiday party. Cocktail attire required? I ACCEPT.

I baked some eggnog mini cupcakes (just took this vanilla cake/frosting recipe and used eggnog instead of milk, then added nutmeg and cinnamon). And this handsome gent threw on a tie.

I stepped into my pink crinoline, veoted these heels, and off we went.

Pyrex Legacy

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Over Thanksgiving, I went to my grandmother and late great aunt's houses and went through their kitchen stuff. My grandmother, who is 100 YEARS OLD, and my great aunt both kept pristine houses and it was a pleasure finding some treasures to take home with me. (I also immediately cleaned my slightly dingier kitchen from top to bottom.)

As I'm a rather big admirer of Pyrex, I was pleased to find two sets of primary color mixing bowls, fridgies and casseroles. Here's part of my Pyrex haul.

For bowls that were apparently from the '50s to '70s, these look um amazing.

Here's to continuing to cook in style.

Got My Eye On...

2011-12-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

Holidays are fast approaching, and the space under my desk is starting to look like a UPS warehouse. I did a lot of my shopping on Etsy. As a result, the fallout from finding other cool things [FOR MYSELF] got added to my favorites. It has become encyclopedia-esque. Here are a few things I have my eye on.

Alpaca collar

Affordable antique rings

I nearly buy myself this every month or so. I love stacking rings, I love antique rings, I love diamonds, I want everything. Perfect for casual, everyday wear.

Vintage punch bowls

For all the Mid-Century Modern dinner parties I will eventually be throwing... right?

Cotton candy glasses

Sewing patterns

But more importantly, I want a sewing machine. It's high time I made my own curtains, pillows and attempted some vintage or new patterns like this one.

Crocheted doily

And a grandma blanket. Perfect.

Shipping off to Christmas

2011-12-05T09:55:00.001-05:00

A few years ago, I went to Strasbourg before Christmas. It's one of the biggest Christmas markets in the world, and the whole city transforms.

I was also known to visit the small Christmas markets dotted around Paris.

In St. Germain

At La Défense

And when I go home to Chicago before Christmas, I always visit the small but direct-from-Germany Chriskindl Market.

So, basically, I'm on the lookout for a Christmas market in New York. The ones at Union Square and Bryant Park are ok, but all I want a fist full of glögg while buying German ornaments. No cheap scarves, no incense, no bullshit. Capiche?

On Sunday, I headed down to check out the Dekalb Market in Fort Greene. Supposedly, there was some sort of holiday thing going on.

The interesting thing about this market is it's made up of shipping containers. Each store or restaurant gets their little shipping container, which acts like a pop up shop. Cool to look at, lots of delicious food, but the sellers are of the "bottlecap jewelry" variety. Which is great if you like bottlecap jewelry.

I'm 0 for 1 of Christmas markets this year, but had a good time exploring.

Eggs Benny

2011-12-04T12:32:00.001-05:00

Blue Steel at Sweetwater

Weekend

2011-12-03T11:01:00.002-05:00

Too Much?

2011-12-02T21:40:00.004-05:00

Within the last year, I transferred my shopping crosshairs from clothes to homegoods. That means I now have about 17,000 objets d'art that need to go somewhere. Understandably, the kitchen has been getting some of the overflow. But I want more.

So, I have this plate hanging up.

And I have this on the wall too.

(image)

But I want this.

Too much? This isn't a monarchist household per se, but I love the illustration. And it's a plate! I might accidentally start a hanging plate collection.

Moi, Métro

2011-11-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

This was taken on today's date, in 2007, on the métro in Paris. 2007. That means it's been FOUR YEARS since I lived there.

I was on the way home after class with Jess. We had probably just spent some time in the Franprix. (Which we called "fran pricks" instead of the French way—"fran pree"—for no particular reason.)

Time sure does fly when you're having fun.

Kent St

2011-11-22T09:00:00.007-05:00

Boyfriend and I are apartment hunting and came across something MAGNIFICENT the other day.

120 Kent. A high-ceiling, sunny brownstone in the heart of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The price tag is a little much. (You like them apples, non-New York people? Laugh and laugh at my sorrow. $2600 for a one bed in BROOKLYN.) But just LOOK. They can fit two couches in there.

By the time I had emailed the realtor, the place was already rented. We're not moving until the spring, but I thought, you know. Maybe he could just pretend the place didn't exist until we were ready to snatch it up.

Oh well.

Being my mother's daughter, I engineered a stalk/walk past the place on Sunday afternoon. Seeing it in person confirmed that I definitely want to live on that street. Make it so, universe.

Kent St is part of Greenpoint's unsung historic district. The whole street is a five minute walk from the subway and a wide wide avenue of gorgeous Victorian brownstones. Nothing like the '60s fake paneled crumbly crap that most people associate with Greenpoint.

Keep fingers crossed for us that something similar, and cheaper, and with a washer/dryer, comes up in the spring. A girl can dream.

Salted Caramel

2011-11-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

My roommate is throwing a clothing swap tonight at my apartment so, since my closet recently got completely ransacked by my desire to sell it for profit, I decided to pay my way with cupcakes.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes, to be precise. They turned out terrific. Ignore the first time piping job.

And while we're in my kitchen, why not check out my newest Pyrex score from eBay ($1! Plus shipping, but you know). It's the "Barbed Wire" pattern and has the original stand.

The air plants are also holding up well, for anyone keeping score.

Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

2011-11-11T19:00:00.001-05:00

It has come to my attention that there is a sad lack of man meat happening in these here parts. To remedy the situation, I rounded up some pictures my boyfriend has sent to me via text message.

There are the "should I buy this?" ones, the obligatory post-haircuts, the pre-outing tests (trying out the suspenders for Governor's Island or the tie for the opera) and the last is him telling me that my apartment was cold.

Enjoy.

Behold!

2011-11-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

Returning to that Houston trip, I wanted to try and show the gloriousness of BHLDN. Besides being a wedding dress shop—and the wedding dresses were actually a bit too much for me—most of the merchandise was special occasion dresses and the trappings to go with it.

Try not to drool. I dare you.

I had seen images floating around the blogoworld forever, but nothing can convey the incredible details and tactile fabrics and patterns. The dresses were by Anna Sui and Rachel Antonoff and oh my, how I hope they open one here.

All images from BHLDN

Everything's Bigger

2011-11-08T08:30:00.002-05:00

I've always been suspicious that things were bigger in Texas. So, this weekend, I went down to Houston to investigate. (And pay a visit to my best ginger friend, Jess.)

First, there was the small plane/layover/Chick-fil-A feast.

Then. JESSSSSSSSS

We had some beers (and a taco) at an Icehouse. They are like open air, BYOB bars? Very strange. But delicious.

When we got back to Jess's house (PEOPLE RENT HOUSES IN TEXAS), her boyfriend had bought Katie and I "Welcome to Texas" coozies.

Glittery Jess

HUGE burritos covered in cheese sauce (shut up, thighs)

Chilis in the beer

Then we went to the Ren Faire! About an hour away from Houston is the nation's biggest. How appropriate.

My unicorn

JESSSSSSSS

Katie

Take one

Aaand take two

It was pretty fantastic. I used to go to the Bristol Renaissance Faire when I was growing up, so this was familiar and yet totally new and different. We even saw a wench nipple hanging out of a corset! How cool is that.

We finished out the weekend with a trip to BHLDN, the wedding/special event store owned by Anthropologie. Which I cannot. Even. Describe. To you. I got a gorgeous sage-colored birdcage veil on supah!sale, which I will probably find a way to wear to brunch or the laundromat.

The three of us cooked a big Sunday night dinner, with them making two huge things of lasagna. I grated cheese and made cookies. Priorities. Then, it was back to the Big Apple, feeling smaller than usual.

Fall Nostalgia

2011-11-04T08:07:00.000-04:00

Whenever fall rolls around and the scent of hot garbage juice is replaced by cigarette smoke and dried leaves, I am reminded of Paris.

New York, for whatever reason, feels similar. It's dirty like Paris is, and the people are just as brusque and stylish. That same chill is there, too, and it always takes me back to when I studied abroad.

I had never let the cold stop me from wandering around and exploring. If anything, it was better then because the tourists were gone and I could stop for chocolat chaud whenever I lost feeling in my fingers. I can't help but get a little nostalgic. And what better way to relive memories than by sharing pictures? Paris in November:

It still has that strange, perfectly filtered light. But it's cold and grey. I loved it everyday.

The ceiling at Galleries Lafayette

The Palais Royal métro stop is decorated year-round

The Opéra Garnier

Bastille

The Gare du Nord train station, back in my neighborhood

And, lest I forget, I can always look back and notice that in November 2007, I still wasn't getting my laundry done. Some things never change.

Bummer Budgets

2011-11-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

I recently visited Mint.com to update my account and OH DEAR LORD WHY IS THERE SO MUCH RED.

Let's just say I sure do like my creature comforts. While I'm not frivolous or splashing out on stuff all the time, the little things add up.

So. I created some budgets and stuck a post-it on my work monitor with some helpful tips.

In the "NO" category: fee-chargin' bodega ATMs. I call them "Gypsy ATMs" because they are just like gypsy cabs—they only show up when you're desperate and then take all the money. Then, of course, I just need to stay away from Etsy forever. Sob.

In the "Less" category: "Fast" food (looking at you, Seamless and GrubHub), cabs (I spent $60 in a month, which is low for New York, but still) and impulse nail polish buys at the pharmacy. Seriously, how can one human spend so much on nail polish and conditioner?

Belt tightening: GO!

Hallow's Eve

2011-10-31T19:00:00.004-04:00

Happy post-Halloween.

My first year buying a sexy costume and it snows like the Apocalypse. Oh well.

For future reference, fake blood dries brown.

American As

2011-10-30T16:27:00.000-04:00

When it comes to baking, I'd call myself a capable amateur. My cookies are usually moist, my pound cakes buttery, and my cupcakes— while poorly iced—relatively delicious. I've been slowly acquiring the materials needed for various cakes, tarts and loaves, but my aspiration? PIE.

Here's the problem. I can pâte a brisée with the best of them. In fact, I made delicious apple hand pies a few weeks ago. But getting that perfect pie crust—no shrinking, no thin spots, no jagged edges—that was my goal.

Let me introduce my best attempt so far: the apple pie.

I found a rather stunning and unique recipe after realizing I didn't have lemon and wasn't going outside again. This one uses a sort of caramel sauce to seep through the lattice crust and flavor everything inside. SOLD.

How did it go with the bottom crust? I just chilled the shit out of some dough and quickly and firmly floured it about a thousand times. I've tried a few ways of getting the crust inside the pan, but in the end the only way that works for me is rolling it up on my French rolling pin and plopping it down inside the dish.

Bubbling caramel. If you're in a kitchen with caramel bubbling away, and you don't try some, you're a better person than I.

My first ever lattice crust.

Caramel meeeeeelting into the pie.

About 10 minutes before it was done, I pulled it out for an egg wash bath and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. My apartment smells like butter and sugar and I'm going now.

Playlist Party

2011-10-25T19:00:00.002-04:00

Some Spotify mixes to tide you over, perhaps?

Deep Breaths: ideal for post-breakup, heading toward healing. For a friend.

Sing It, Sister: Hard women singing their shit like they mean it.

Officer, Arrest This Guitar

Enjoy.

Bits and Pieces

2011-10-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

Round up of the past few weeks, courtesy of my stunning iPhone photography.

Blurry strange puppy at the laundromat

Taken at this. Can you see the speck of Bill Murray down there? No? (I didn't know how to zoom on iOS 5 yet. Derp.)

Erotic City at Brooklyn Bowl. Yes, a Prince cover band named Erotic City. Bet you feel bad about your boring life now, huh?

His (obviously)

Mine

And the nook got into the spirit with some cobwebs. It's pretty Halloweeny year round.

My first ever Shoofly Pie (both making it and tasting it)

Hello Kitty

Dinner at Panna II post-Ghost Tour in the East Village. No orbs here, so we're good.

Made Up

2011-10-23T11:26:00.001-04:00

One of my small dreams for the future is to have a vanity. (Small dreams, I said. It's not one of my big dreams, like starting a family and owning the top floor of an East London converted warehouse.)

Why a vanity? Well, I have a lot of makeup and it's currently living under my bed. Dusty makeup. I would like to keep choice objects within reach, and in the process, be able to establish a home base. For makeup application. Keep repeating to yourself: small dreams.

In pursuit of my [small] dream, I recently bought a vintage lipstick holder. Here are a few of the beauts who will live in this object.

My lipstick collection is much larger than this, but I only wear a few. And not that often, really. But when the mood strikes, I need to go balls-deep into some paint.

From the left:

Lipstick Queen Medieval: a perfect, perfect thing. I've bought four at least. It's a cherry red, sheerish shade that stains your mouth for a few hours. Based on the lemons women used to use to get a reddish tint, apparently.
Mac's Ruby Woo: The perfect matte red. This one is the classic. It takes about 20 minutes to get in the zone and make sure nothing flaky is going on, but then it usually goes all night.
Mac's Girl About Town: Traffic-stopping magenta. The texture is fantastic, very creamy and pretty.

On the ground:
Kat Von D's Stiletto: Orange red that's less matte than Ruby Woo. I happen to love Kat's stuff, and swear by her concealer.
YSL Black Tulip: Looks scary in the tube, works out well in reality. It is very dark purple with a relatively sheer execution.

See?

Hat Trick

2011-10-21T08:17:00.000-04:00

Remember my almost-certain temptation hat? Well, guess whose TERRIFIC BOYFRIEND bought it for her out of the blue?

Two thumbs, this chick, etc. Yeah.

Pretttyyyy

111 Archer Avenue

2011-10-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't love The Royal Tenenbaums? No one, probably. Show me someone who hates that movie and I'll show you a lying imbecile. Or a film student with some legitimate opinions. Whatever.

Last night, I attended the 10th Anniversary screening of the film at Lincoln Center. My quick-witted compadre had found and bought the tickets early last week. We couldn't believe our luck.

My good friends Wes Anderson and Eric Anderson were there, alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Bill Murray and Anjelica Huston. They did a Q&A panel after the screening and it was fantastic to see their rapport. As far as the screening itself?

I've probably seen the movie... well, let's say a couple of times. But never on the big screen. It was pretty incredible to lean back and notice the smallest, most random details I hadn't ever spotted on a 15" laptop screen. And, as I'm in the fever pitch stage of a decorating fervor, I was most impressed by the set design.

NOW. I am hardly the first person to write about the sets and art of The Royal Tenenbaums. I'm probably not the first person to do it today. But here's what I found interesting this time around. The kind of stuff I plan on incorporating into my next apartment.

First of all, the whole house at 111 Archer Avenue reminds me of the Museum of Natural History in New York or Deyrolle in Paris. It's stuffed to the brim with... stuff. Wood paneling, cozy nooks, taxidermied animals, painted animals and scientific objects are everywhere.

(At the museum)

The boyfriend already has some mounted horns scattered around his place, but how magical would a full stuffed animal be? Or at least some mounted butterflies. Like this:

-

Another thing I love is how much art the family has.

Whether it's painted by Richie...

... or of professional interest to Ethel...

Everything is a bit scattered, but there for a reason. Everything has its place.

And maybe I should start a bright yellow collection of NGs.

-

Speaking of yellow. I adore the eye-searing shade of Wes Anderson yellow. If that color were a food, I'm sure it would make you cry with pain.

Of course, it's frequently found throughout all his movies. (Ahem. One of my favorites.)

-

I'm always on the lookout for some maps. Raleigh St. Clair's house reminds me of the nerve center of a British expedition.

Say it with me: White Man's Burden chic. Without any of the horrific connotations.

-

I could never have enough subway tile. Ever. (And cute pink phone.)

-

And finally, let's keep things a little Old New York-nautical. Like the Maritime or something.

(All photos from here)

Home Away From Home

2011-10-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

With all this talk about my apartment, I thought it was high time I mentioned the place I spend the other half of my time: my boyfriend's apartment.

He lives in a "two bedroom" railroad (read: one bedroom with two mini rooms) at the northernmost tip of Brooklyn, in Greenpoint. The place is spacious and light and has a huge kitchen.

The kitchen is his domain. Just this last Sunday, he cooked the final tomato pie of the season with a mix of regular red guys and heirlooms. It was magnificent.

This is my new favorite corner of the place.

A: My empty Pyrex pie dish. I was planning on making Shoofly Pie, but the goshdarn humidity and my general pastry ineptitude killed everything. It's resting on a bright yellow dresser we found on the street and lugged up four flights of stairs. Now, it's a little prep area next to the stove.

B: New Ikea spice rack. The spices used to live in a line down the kitchen fireplace mantle, but now it's organized.

C: Crème de Cassis and Pimms. Both were gifts, both are essentially mine.

D: New Brooklyn print from These Are Things. I already have this one, but I bought him the Brooklyn one and this one for me on sale from here. Phew.

E: He's been collecting various postcards from restaurants in the neighborhood. This one's from Diner.

Coming up: huge American flags and other manly décor.

Air

2011-10-07T20:00:00.004-04:00

Here are my gorgeous little air plants. Aren't they cute, getting their first taste of sunlight at the office?

They're from an unnamed Etsy seller. Unnamed because the actual "getting air plants" phase was a mess. They took a month to arrive, for one thing. Then there was the non-communication and the missing packages. If you're planning on getting air plants, and the Etsy seller's name starts with a T, I would council you to avoid them. But that's your business.

Anyway!

All these guys need is sunlight, a few spritzes of water once a week and air, presumably. I'm going to take most of them home and put them in tea cups and other adorable plant holders. But it's nice having some verdantry around these parts for the moment.

Cat Lady

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not really a cat person, but hot damn if I don't want to dress like one. Just give me a good reason to buy this and I will. So help me, I will

The perfect color, the perfect turban

All I need is a turban, my new robe thing and some old casserole dishes and I'm set, with or without an annoying cat.

Chronic Bitchface

2011-10-05T20:00:00.002-04:00

I saw this months ago, but just ran across it again. You know...

I might know how she feels.

(Holding back bitchface like a champ)

(from)

Apartment Lately, Again

2011-10-03T21:27:00.002-04:00

With only six months left on my lease, I'm still slowly adding little bits to my home. Here's what things look like nowadays.

Pumpkin Salted Caramel Blondies. I used a whole can of pumpkin and a full jam jar of homemade caramel sauce for a super moist, cakey result. Plates may or may not have gotten licked clean.

The vase is from a vintage store in Cobble Hill and the hat, dubbed "Ren Faire" by two different people [how dare they] [I loved it], came from a tent at the Governor's Island Jazz Fest.

A new/old three-paneled mirror from the Brooklyn Flea

New print in a new/old frame from Junk

Peignoir

2011-09-27T19:59:00.001-04:00

My newest thing, that thing that sticks out in my head when I'm dicking around on Etsy or Ebay or clicking through lookbooks online, is vintage lingerie worn as outerwear.

We're not talking Madonna bullet bra here. I mean more like an oyster satin slip peeking out from under a dress, or a frilly robe worn as a coat.

Ashley from Fancy Fine has a gorgeous one, and this Kimono jacket from Urban Outfitters, of all places, is wispy and flowery and perfect.

However, I refuse on principle to pay Urban Outfitters prices in exchange for the shitty quality clothing they produce.

To the internet!

Within a few minutes, I discovered a "bed jacket"/robe was called a peignoir back in the day (comes from peigner, "to comb"). Here are some pretty ones:

Can you imagine showing up to bed in this? Your guy wouldn't know where to start.

I would totally wear this pink one from the '30s.

Pretty Swiss Dot collar

Here's the one I bought:

From here, of all places, a cheap Odette Barsa light blue peignoir. Do a quick search and you can easily find the same one (or try pink), sometimes with the original matching nightgown.

I will report back when it arrives and I can take it for a spin as a coat/long cardigan thing. Taking bets how high on the Granny Scale this one will hit.

Connect icut

2011-09-26T09:00:00.003-04:00

As someone who spent considerable childhood time at midwestern state fairs and the Bristol Renaissance Faire, I am no stranger to fried food.

Having said that, the Big E really put my training to the test.

The boyfriend and I traveled to Connecticut where his family picked us up and swooped us off to the fair. Now, this fair was relatively new to me (compared to a State Fair or a Ren Faire): it has rides and fair games, of course, plus a big farm animal/horse section. PLUS the state houses, which was my favorite part. They are big, beautiful buildings representing each of the New England states. Inside each one is food, crafts and other goodies unique to that state. Picture lots and lots of maple syrup, essentially.

(Big "E"... get it?) O hai big frizzy hair.

We walked around for hours, checking out the sites and having a good time.

Beer tent

Creepy floats

Communing with nature

Then came the truly shocking, bizarre and shameful eating. I tried a fried Oreo and pondered these guys:

Fried dough and fried Kool Aid

And, the worst part of my day:

A "cheesesteak" that was actually just a roll, a chunk of "steak," some defeated onions, and a few LADLEFULS of beige cheese. I spent the whole day playing chicken with my stomach, expecting some truly horrible side effects. It was a miracle nothing bad happened.

Then, the whole gang made our way to Hartford to eat at the restaurant run by the boyfriend's mom, Dish. I had probably the best lobster bisque ever, then some delicious clam spaghetti. We topped off the Day of Gluttony with some ridiculously good desserts.

I'd like to thank my body for not turning on me. I promise to go easy this week.

I Live in a Crack Den

2011-09-23T12:00:00.002-04:00

I live in a gorgeous, slightly crooked old brownstone in North Brooklyn, and I got into a discussion about the building with my landlord the other day.

They've only owned it for about two years. The woman they bought it from had lived there for THIRTY. Apparently, when she bought the building, it was in bad shape: forclosure, for one thing. And a crack den, secondly.

How did she know it was a crack den? There were little cubicle-style cubbie holes built on the first level, all painted black and littered with odds and ends. My landlord said some of their wood trim (like the bannister) has cuts all over it, as though someone attacked it with knives or needles.

Slightly unrelated, but what is now my bathroom had so much shit around the tub, they originally thought it was an in-ground. When all the tiles and wood was cleared away, the woman discovered a gorgeous original clawfoot hiding underneath. (Bad picture here, to semi explain.)

The more you know, huh?

This song is good.

BOB DYLAN IN THE 80'S by YOMAHA

Breaking Down

2011-09-21T20:00:00.001-04:00

Everyone should bone.

That's what I always say.

Which is why I took a gift card and my sous chef to the Brooklyn Kitchen for an Advanced Knife Skills class.

My mom had given me a gift card for the place and I held out, hoping to get into their famous "Whole Hog" butchering class. But I decided to cash in early and learn how to break down a chicken and fillet a fish myself, rather than watch a dude do it to a pig. It turned out to be a fantastic lesson.

First, all five or six of us got face-to-face with a whole, raw chicken. The teacher, a chef from Porchetta, talked us through using a boning knife and then demonstrated how we would need to find the chicken's joints to make cuts. The boning knife is flexible and curved so you can follow the lines of an animal rather than chopping up and down.

The first cut was to take off the wings. We stretched out the arm joints a few times, finding the right bend in the "elbow." Then, you slice through the skin to find two white knobs. When you find them, slice through and the wing should come off. Like BUTTAH baby.

That was the main lesson for the whole night: if there's major resistance, you're doing it wrong. Good metaphor for life, maybe?

After the wings, you slice through the breast and carefully separate the meat from the bone until you have a half chicken attached only at the bottom. Then you pop the thigh bone and cut off the half chicken, then cut the breast (with its nub of the top of a wing) from the thigh bone and leg. Tada.

It was pretty cool working with a whole chicken, because you really see that the meat you're eating comes from an animal that was once alive. It had elbows and a head. I know that people do actually REALIZE chicken came from a living chicken, but it does makes you think of how much meat you might have thrown out or forgotten in the freezer over the years. That animal gave its life for your noms, and you should respect it and acknowledge it.

Next, we moved on to the round fish. I'm not a fan of touching whole fish. And live fish? Forget about it. But I grabbed one, avoiding holding it IN THE EYE SOCKETS as instructed, and set to filleting it.

We gutted it first, then cut around the head, then tail, then sliced it along the top. I managed to cut my finger either with my knife or on one of the sharp fins. It didn't hurt, but I kept bleeding awkwardly into what would eventually be dinner.

It was much harder to hold the fish still (slippery little bastards) and cleanly slice. Any slip ups would fray the meat and that's no good. I eventually got my two fillets and hey! They were big. Even though the skin is edible, we tried skinning them and I ended up with two almost perfect guys.

On the way home, boyfriend carrying a huge bag of chicken, carcasses and fish, we stopped to get some herbs and veggies. For dinner, we sauteed the fish with some shallots, lemon and tarragon, then made jasmine rice and green beans.

Here's to a fully stocked freezer and eating chicken for weeks.

(Image from here)

EDIT:

A how-to video by our instructor. Tidy.

A Very Brooklyn Weekend

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

This was a good weekend, as evidenced by the first thing I did on Saturday: Pies N Thighs. That place will just not quit.

A Rob Evans for me: sausage gravy, egg and cheese on a biscuit. Fried chicken box with grits for him. And fruit to pretend we weren't huge, fat slobs.

After, we went down to Cobble Hill for some shopping, movie watching (Contagion was GRRREAT) and more eating (at Bar Tabac). I bought a great vintage vase and spent most of the night trying not to touch my face. Don't see that movie if you're germ phobic. Or live in a city. Or touch your face. Or fly. Or...

In Review Part II

2011-09-06T23:13:00.004-04:00

And now, I present to you... dusty from the forgotten vaults of my phone just now discovered as I plugged it into the computer... MY LIFE.

Sugar cookies, later to be heaped with my homemade jam.

Another batch of cookies. What a sight for tired eyes first thing in the morning.

Dog sitting.

The pizza dough has risen. Amen.

Educational and mature trips to the Museum of Natural History.

Wearing heels for the first time in forever.

A dino at work.

A doggie at work.

This out of print beauty (one of my favorites as a kid).

And this beast.

Pizza and my dinosaur at Jurassic Park.

And this cool vintage lipstick holder from a little place I like to call Etsy.

Buddy

2011-09-06T22:04:00.001-04:00

This weekend, my parents were forced with making the impossible decision to put our dog, Buddy, to sleep. She hadn't been truly herself in years, but recent sickness just made it the right thing to do. After years of going on the road for soccer games, galavanting through the forest preserve and keeping a close eye on the mailman, she's at peace. My mom said she rode to the vet with her head in my mom's lap. She knew, and she was okay.

These are the pictures I could rustle up of the dog I'd had since I was about 10 years old.

We called her Budster, Buddy the Wonder Dog and Budsky (my aunt's nickname for "The Polish Dog.")

Meeting her new brother, Guinness. He had the furriest ears I've ever felt.

She was a good dog.

And lest we get too sad, my parents still have this doofus running around the house. Meet Ziggy:

Lately

2011-08-31T14:15:00.000-04:00

My parents went to Berlin and all I got was this rad record.

Post-hurricane skies

Post-hurricane manicure

My highest word score

Going away brownies

Outfit faux pas

Disposable Month

2011-08-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

I have a great relationship with disposable cameras. For about $10, I get an awkward, over-enthusiastic flash camera I can pull out anytime and anywhere. After waiting a full month before developing this beaut (oops), I show what I've been doing (semi) recently.

Eating pizza at Roberta's in Bushwick:

Exploring Chinatown and the Hester Street Fair:

Shenanigans in Williamsburg:

Eating more pizza at Best Pizza (which, incidentally, is quite good):

Drinks with friends at one of my favorite places in Manhattan, the Maritime Hotel:

Aaand of course. Glamorously doing laundry at the laundromat. At least I've had a doorstop of a fantastic book to keep me company:

Here's a nice song:
<p>&amp;lt;a href="http://thedirtylungs.bandcamp.com/album/dont-fucking-remind-me"&amp;gt;Don't Fucking Remind Me by The Dirty Lungs&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;</p>

The 'Shore

2011-08-29T23:42:00.001-04:00

Believe it or not, I survived Hurricane Irene. Hurripocalypse 2011. The 'Cane. I spent the weekend holed up on the couch, alternating between beef ramen and cereal, watching exorbitant amounts of Food Network and annoying my steadfast gentleman friend.

Of course, others were not so lucky. One of those people was said gentleman friend's dad, who had to evacuate his new home in Asbury Park. No word yet on the state of the condo, but here are some pictures from Before, when we helped him move. A month ago, yes. My bad.

First of all, Asbury Park isn't the "Jersey Shore" as we know it now. This is Bruce country. Locals live and love in close proximity to the beach, and there is one hell of a fancy grocery store.

The Boardwalk:

A bum on the beach:

And finally, illegal grilling on the patio. This, ladies and gents, is how you cook some scallops:

Steak too, obviously. Otherwise, what's the point?

Cinderella

2011-08-24T22:04:00.002-04:00

I was searching for "Pyrex glass" on Etsy the other day (...as you do), and I discovered a MAGNIFICENT THING.

You see, I am quite the fan of what we'll call "vintage cookware" (ugh) and have always wanted a set of casserole dishes. I could in theory make all types of meals with them. Plus, they remind me of my Polish side of the family's big potluck holiday dinners when I was a kid.

Almost everyone in my family had a few Snowflake patterned casserole dishes. But this last Etsy search introduced me to...

DUN DUN DUN

The PINK Gooseberry Cinderella Pyrex pattern.

(Yes yes I realize I am passionately telling you about a pattern of now-defunct casserole dishes.)

Look how cussin' cute these things are:

Set

1 Qt

Tuna Casserole-ready

The pattern dates from the '50s (duh) and, since it's not rare, it's relatively cheap. BINGO.

So, looking at my kitchen:

-I have a KitchenAid in pistachio

-My Le Creuset color is Dijon [I fucking love that I have a Le Creuset color—but a Dutch oven and two baking dishes make it my color.]

-Future Pyrex pattern: GOOSEBERRY PINK

Polybore

2011-08-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

Today's drop in temperature sent my mind drifting away, happy and cozy, to fall clothes.

Behold!

The fall uniform: allll my spring dresses topped off with a cardigan, legs shrouded in tights and boots, and some clunky toppings to keep me suitably awkward-looking.

Fall Uniform by heyimanna featuring a slouch hat

Aand the wishlist: Burberry trench, Vivienne Westwood pirate boots, LV Sofia Coppola bag... oh to be loaded.

Wishful Thinking by heyimanna featuring a trench coat

Follow me on Polyvore, in case I add more "looks." It could happen.

Perks of Prohibition

2011-08-21T17:40:00.001-04:00

I made it to the previously mentioned Jazz Age Fest on Governor's Island and boy was it... everything I could have ever hoped or dreamed. Seriously, the amount of trouble people went through (especially considering the 87 degree heat) was joyous.

See for yourself.

Step one: the East River Ferry from North Williamsburg to Governor's Island. Boyfriend looked like he was on his way to Ellis Island from the Old Country.

We passed bridges:

And yours truly got windblown:

Then, the main event.

As I expected, I didn't have time or money to go for one of the beautiful vintage dresses I was considering. I made do with this maxi dress from ASOS and threw my hair into a Gibson roll with a vintage bit of embroidery pinned above it.

[And of course, the dress isn't what we'd call "'20s"... but it does have a similar shape and pattern to what you'd have seen in the '30s. I did my best.]

Close enough

We tucked into the St. Germain cocktails (me) and Brooklyn Brewery offerings (him), and had a right good time.

When it all got to be too much...

We got back on the ferry and reentered the year 2011. And became those weirdos walking down the street looking like we've been lost since Halloween.

Birthday Cookies

2011-08-20T16:24:00.000-04:00

I made some ginger snaps for my friend's birthday. This is notable because I added special chocolate chunks and ended up with something explosive. MOUTH explosive. Talking taste buds committing suicide because nothing else will be as good ever again.

Not to like, oversell.

Take the Ginger People recipe for ginger snaps.

They look like this:

2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger [I find I don't need this on top of ALL the other ginger, but to each his own ginger overload.]

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 egg

3.5 ounces Crystallized Ginger, chopped coarsely

1/4 cup turbinado sugar or other coarse sugar for rolling dough

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Sift dry ingredients together. Set aside. Combine softened butter, sugar, molasses and egg. Using a mixing, beat well. Stir in crystallized ginger. Sift dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Mix well. Form 1-inch balls. Roll in course sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

And then, before baking, add the secret ingredient.

Pull out of the oven and triple take at how much ooey gooey shit is seeping out of your cookies. The good kind of shit.

(Images from the links)

Night Off

2011-08-19T07:52:00.002-04:00

Sometimes all you need to do is take a night off from people (no matter how lovely) and responsibilities (sorry, laundry pile).

Delicious and easy Caprese Pasta. And hey, is that a Le Creuset baking dish I won't shut the hell up about? Yep!

Cheesy goodness in front of Alias. Pastel-colored leopard print nails.

Complete and utter self indulgence. It's a de-bitch-er.

The Cloisters, Part II

2011-08-16T12:30:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since my last trip to the FAAAAR Upper West Side's gem of a museum, The Cloisters. Medieval art, Unicorn tapestries, medicinal herb garden and Narwhal tusk. I literally can't imagine a more intriguing place. (That's within an hour of home. And costs less than $20.)

I took my Knight in Shining Plaid

And off we went.

I did some sitting.

Boyfriend acted mature.

And then I put him in the dungeons and left.

Not really.

Things were examined.

The outside was explored.

And I got to have some tea while admiring the whole thing. Magical.

Week in Review

2011-08-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

I've been working my way through a disposable camera but, until that's done and developed, here's what my iPhone saw this last week.

Babysitting Addie the dog, pictured here at the laundromat

Cream Cheese Blondies

Saturday lunch at the Hester Street Fair

Sunday night dinner, courtesy of the boyfriend: Buffalo Chicken tacos with homemade tortillas

Money Tree

2011-08-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Back to school shopping easily tops my list of favorite childhood memories. Mom would take us to get stationary (college-ruled or die), pens, glue, pencil cases and anything else on our supply list. Then we'd head over to the fancy strip mall and stock up on sweaters and jeans for the fall. I'd go home and wear my sweaters around the house, even though it was 80 degrees outside and anything black, dark purple or hunter green was reserved for goths in the summer.

Because I don't own a money tree, these days I can't completely refresh my entire wardrobe for fall. But I've also been avoiding H&M, Forever 21 and other fast fashion places for a while in order to save up for better quality stuff. Here are two things I'm saving up for.

Larch bag from Valhalla Brooklyn

Frye Engineer 12R boots

What are you pinching pennies for?

Jazzy

2011-08-03T21:00:00.006-04:00

SO. Two years in a row I missed the Governor's Island Jazz Age Party and I am not missing it again.

Of course, my "post war"-loving self would give my crinoline to attend the Chap Olympiad in London, but as far as decade-themed summer dance parties go, beggars can't be complainers. (Heh. Also, #whitewhine.)

Jazz Age party:

Chap Olympiad:

Chap Olympiad, 2009 from Will Jordan on Vimeo.

Oh well.

So, me being me, I can't just show up in jeans. And while I have been collecting mid century dresses for a while, I lack most things Art Deco. Well, that's not true—I have a beautiful black '20s dress and another from the '30s. But black isn't suitable for sipping cocktails on the lawn in August.

It doesn't help that the boxy, square silhouette from that time doesn't suit me at all. Cloche hats pinch my hair. I am easily annoyed by not being able to drink wherever I want. (Prohibition joke?) That's why I think expanding "1920s Jazz Age" to include the more fitted '30s silhouette is probably okay. Vanity.

I have two vaguely '30s-style modern dresses that could work, but I know I'd be lighter on my feet in true vintaaaage. To the internets...!

(Not all of these fit my body or the budget, but this is basically what I want.)

Sleep No More

2011-08-03T12:00:00.002-04:00

Last night, I did what I was told by friends, strangers and many many bemused blog posts—went to see Sleep No More.

Now, this "site specific immersive experience" has been covered by better writers than me. And probably in funnier ways. But I wanted to share my personal experience.

Here's a good description of this whole thing, from the NYT:

“Sleep No More” is, in short, a voyeur’s delight, with all the creepy, shameful pleasures that entails.
The idea is once you’re let loose on one of the floors of the hotel, you pick out a single character and pursue him or her (though you can switch any time you want), as the performer runs, dances and vaults all over the place. Dressed in drop-dead, Deco-era evening clothes, scanty lingerie or nothing at all, these characters include the Macbeths (of course), Macduff and his wife (who is conspicuously pregnant), Duncan (the king) and various witches and hotel employees. (Because the roles are mostly double-cast, I am not mentioning individual performers, but they are all lissome enough to make the audience look slow and dumpy.)

First, a few tips for anyone who's thinking of going:

1. Definitely go. Buy tickets. Stop thinking about it.
2. Experience this alone. I took my boyfriend but as soon as our cards were called, we separated.
3. Take your time. Once I got off on my floor, I immediately started looking for characters. I wish I had explored more, instead.

Okay, spoilers ahead.

The most interesting part of this experience, for me, was how it made me feel. Not what I saw. When you get off the elevator onto your floor, the few other people with you disperse. Then you are suddenly alone. I'm okay with being alone, for the most part. I wandered through rooms, stopping occasionally to touch tea cups or stare into mirrors. The rooms are completely tricked out in the most detailed manner, which is staggering the more you continue through the hotel. The scale of the thing! Each room has a different smell, temperature and sound.

I'm a huuuge fraidy cat, so when I found myself completely alone at the end of a dark graveyard scene, I had a bit of an internal back-and-forth. Go? Don't go? I could have turned around and returned to a relatively safe, if still eery living room. But I pushed myself though, alone, and continued even further. I felt a crushing sensation of something like dread.

A few of the rooms are simply terrifying. You pass through one scene with bloodstained laundry hanging up to dry, then duck into a nursery with headless dolls suspended around an empty crib. There's a padded cell with more bloodstains on the wall. At the time I went through these rooms, I was alone. Occasionally, I'd see a black masked "steward" watching me, but not reacting.

Then, suddenly, I found a character. There was an enormous sense of relief that I had rejoined something.

You end up following characters around until you get bored, or hear the music change in another room, or want to explore. The story supposedly follows Macbeth, but I found it completely disjointed. I did see Lady Macbeth washing her hands of blood once, but for the most part, it was easier to not try and follow any storyline. I just observed and then moved on.

For the first hour or so, I was uncomfortable that I could be missing something going on. Specifically, I'd heard there's an orgy scene. ORGY! NICE! As I watched a man sloooowly walk down a path with an umbrella, my head was going "dude, there's an orgy scene and it's probably happening RIGHT THIS SECOND." It was hard to suppress that feeling of missing out, but you simply cannot follow all the action. It's difficult enough to navigate the actual building. There are 5 floors and multiple dead ends. Plus, if you see a group of masked people staring in one direction, you get an urge to follow and see what they're seeing.

Initially, most people stand away from the action. As you travel around, you get startled by masked people suddenly appearing. Your eyes play tricks on you in dark corners. But then, as more people appear and group together, you get confidence and become bold. There were a few uh, former high school drama-type kids who liked to get extremely close to the actors. Sometimes, you'd walk past a window and look inside to see someone ransacking a trunk or sitting comfortably at a dinner table. It's completely eery how at home some people are.

It's also amazing how the actors are able to shepherd us around. Everyone likes to think they're an individual, free thinking person. Nope. You're human. You hear footsteps upstairs or a woman scream, and you hurry off to see what's happening.

Eventually and all of a sudden, I was exhausted. The sheer scale of the production is a huge weight—physically, I had climbed and descended 5 flights of stairs more times than I could count. Emotionally, my nerves had been stretched to that point where a murderer could have jumped out and I'd been like, "fine bro, end it." My poor heart had skipped and almost stopped so many times.

(Side note: I had, at one point, accidentally wandered behind a bar. When I realized I was there, I felt awkward and turned around and tried to leave. But I couldn't, because there was a solid wall behind me. I probably knew logically that I wasn't trapped, but I panicked for a few seconds and pounded on the wall. Then, I realized it was a trick of the light and the door was actually a few feet to the side. I kind of slithered away, sweaty and shaking.)

The herd mentality takes over once you get tired. I didn't want to be scared anymore, I didn't want to run around and try to figure out what was happening. I just wanted someone to tell me where to go. That's how everyone feels, I think—I started seeing couples holding hands and running into bigger groups of masked people. (By the way: holding hands? Completely ruins the experience. Let yourself be scared, alone and acting on your own instincts. Also, get out of my way.)

With more people around, it was harder to get out of characters' ways when they would suddenly change course. I ended up being pushed and stepped on a lot, or getting caught in the middle of a scene until I could edge away from the actor.

Finally, we reached the finale and it was over. As we exited the hotel, a few familiar characters from the beginning touched us and said, "welcome back." That human touch, and being able to take off my mask, was a huge relief. I found my boyfriend and needed a long hug.

What struck me overall? Exceptional choreography. The dancing itself is primal and violent. Most of the dancers had bruises and were completely undone by the end (crying, sweating, half naked). But the unseen choreography—the paths the characters take—end up intersecting countless times. And it's all perfectly timed to the music.

My emotions had been all over the place. I often found myself next to or even touching a character, trying to control my breathing after running up some stairs or being freaked out by someone suddenly appearing. At the end, I succumbed to the familiarity of the herd and took comfort in other people around me. Throughout, my mask was cumbersome and hot.

I rehashed the whole thing with the boyfriend afterward, and was surprised to find we'd seen a lot of the same things. We had each perhaps seen a murder that the other hadn't, but the major events were covered.

Then, we went home and had sandwiches. Because, no matter how voyeuristic and dirty and exhausted I felt... a girl's gotta eat.

(pictures from here)

Perks

2011-07-29T09:56:00.002-04:00

There's nothing quite like a new dress with pockets.

This weekend, I'm heading to the 'Shore to help boyfriend's dad move. When we say "helping," I think it'll be mostly supervising, organizing and eating ice cream.

Happy Friday.

Apartment Lately

2011-07-26T10:25:00.003-04:00

From

Aftermath

2011-07-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

This weekend was a delicate balancing act of trying to go outside to show Jess around and trying to stay inside and be completely AC'd at all times. I think we did okay.

Friday night was Restaurant Week at famed steakhouse The Palm.

Here's a hilariously poor iPhone camera recap:

The caricatures all over the walls.

The Kryans (Katie/Ryan)

And the ladies.

I got a steak, as one does. It showed up and stared me down with balsamic onion eyes.

And C went teeth first into his.

The next morning, C and I got taco brunch.

I always say he's on a field trip—flat brimmed hats, excited strolling down the sidewalk—and then he does things like this that completely prove me right.

Then we all met up at The Gutter and drank. Didn't bowl.

And played with fans, too.

Sunday, we all met up again at Calexico for five orders of carne asada rolled quesadillas.

World-rockin'.

Heat Wave

2011-07-21T16:45:00.000-04:00

It's a heatwave in our fair city, and my friend Jess is here. Jess'ing around, as usual. Here's a good old country mix to keep your chin up and your butt dry this weekend.

Dandelion Wine

2011-07-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I emptied out my closet and put the best of the "giveaway" pile into this nifty Etsy shop. I called it Dandelion Wine Vintage, because. Why not.

Most of the stuff is from the '50s and '60s, but there's a few earlier and later pieces.

I actually did think to myself, "including 'Vintage' in the title is kinda douchey." But SEO is a real live thing, okay?

And drumroll.....I sold my first skirt today. W00t.

Next stop: tussle in the post office. It's literally one of my least favorite places in the entire world.

If anyone's interested, the name comes from this Born Ruffians song. As a hedonist myself, dandelion wine sounds pretty summery and fantastic.

Hedonistic Me - Born Ruffians

Disposable Food

2011-07-15T12:54:00.001-04:00

Last week, I took my jam and the Hummingbird Bakery sugar cookie recipe and made me some jam cookies.

Then, completely unrelated, I had brunch at Pies N Thighs.

Both events were delicious.

How To Do Independence in New England

2011-07-13T09:24:00.000-04:00

Yours truly took a disposable camera and an attractive man to Essex, CT, for the Fourth. First item on the activities menu: a trip to Newport for mansions and seafood.

Rosecliff

Then, it was on to seafood.

And, back in Essex, CT, there was a burger showdown.

Crowl and cousine

The judges deliberated

And we all made s'mores.

A lazy train ride home.

Ramped Up

2011-06-26T09:41:00.001-04:00

A million years ago, my landlord gave me a bag of ramps he'd harvested himself. Not necessarily knowing what to do with ramps, I considered my options: pesto. Salad. Soup.

Boyfriend took one look and decided it for me: pizza.

They were salty, soft and richer than an onion or leek.

In short: nomtastic.

We Be Jammin'

2011-06-25T18:15:00.004-04:00

Today, I bit the bullet and put my jam where my mouth was and finally made Strawberry Vanilla jam.

I brought my assistant to the McCarren Park Farmers Market for 3 big ol' containers of strawberries and picked up a bunch of flowers, too.

Smart one here doesn't own a paring knife, so guess who spent the better part of an hour hulling the little berries with an 8" chef's knife?

The recipe was easy enough, but I bought a low-sugar pectin and that involved some slight changes. I also added only one vanilla bean and threw in a bit of vanilla extract. Who knows how it will taste.

Science!

The good thing is, there was only one casualty after the cooking-jars-in-boiling-water bit, which was lower than I expected. Here's to tasting it for once and all tomorrow.

Ping!

Phone Dump

2011-06-23T12:00:00.002-04:00

Since last we spoke, I did a lot of nails (all mine, if that raised any weird flags), shopped, gothed around my apartment, went to Chicago for my sister's graduation and chilled with some dogs. Behold, from the archives of my phone...!

Nails (Sally Hansen nails stickers on the left and my handiwork with the green and pink nailpolish from Urban Outfitters on the right.)

Shopped (pillow on the left from here and print from somewhere I can't find at the moment. Both from the Renegade Craft Fair.)

Gothed (that's laundry on the left and the result of me melting a red candle into an old Hendricks bottle for the nook on the right.)

Baked some cookies

Chilled with some dogs (coworker's on the left and my family's on the right.)

Woke dogs up from naps to capture that smooshed face look

And watched my sister graduate from Northwestern. Stephen Colbert put on quite a show at the Commencement.

Catbird

2011-06-14T12:00:00.003-04:00

My favorite jewelry store, Catbird, is handily (unfortunately) located a few blocks from my apartment. I always peek on the way to and from the subway, and the other day they had a deal on Refinery where I could get half off my purchase.

I LEAPT at the chance. Like a hideous leaping thing.

Now, I'm torn between this itty bitty, teeny tiny white sapphire ring, which comes in under budget. But it's a bit too small in real life:

Or throwing a few extra bones in (OKAY FINE it's twice as much) for this five pavé diamond one, which I really really like:

I think I might move some pennies around and go for the second one. Either way, the ring will get stacked with one of my other ones, so I know it'll be lovely whichever I choose.

Vegas: Disney for Adults

2011-06-09T09:00:00.003-04:00

I went to Vegas for these two beautiful people:

And along the way got a heck of a ride. Casinos! Margaritas! Pools! Sparkles! In-N-Out Burger! Pools! Strippers! Here's what went down.

One of my first impressions of Vegas was a huge melting post of the richest, most beautiful people and the fattest, least attractive, dumbest people in the world. That makes for a good time, of course, and results in stuff like this:

And on the flip side, the most stunning, delicious food:

(Glitter!)

There's also fantastic stuff like this, at the Venetian and on the strip:

I went with my guy:

And Dubra Dave:

We stayed at Flamingo, but spent most of the time at the Mirage pool. Like pool BUMS. Total bums.

The wedding was beautiful. This is how we looked:

And Auntie Fab wore spectacular eyelashes:

Blurry but piercing, non?

Which a strange bald man admired from afar.

Kara was dismayed by the dancing:

We all bro'd out and had a fantastic time for the rest of the trip.

From the casinos:

To the buffet:

To yard-long drinks:

And finally, to In-N-Out Burger:

Where Animal Style was taken perhaps a little too far.

And so, among the braying tones of Faith Hill at the Bellagio fountains, a good time was had by all. Bonus: I only gambled (and lost, sigh) $60!

(Pictures from various cell phones, my camera and Ken)

Places to Go: The Loire

2011-06-08T12:00:00.004-04:00

The Loire Valley in France is where the language is purest, according to my high school AP French teacher. It's also full of castles, which—as anyone who knows me in the slightest can attest—are sort of my thing.

I've done one or two castles in my time (and that's just the tip of the castleberg), but a whole region of them?

My first French textbook—from 7th grade—was called Allez, Viens! which means something like, "Come on, let's go!" It was a fantastic way to learn French because it includes videos of people doing horrible skits and even old commercials (a SNCF ad from the '80s featuring puppets singing a song became a class meme before memes were even invented).*

It also introduced all the various Francophone regions, and one of them was the Loire. Thus, the Loire was one of my first impressions of what it must be like to be French and a castle dweller. As all French are, of course.

One day, I'd love to rent a car and drive around the Loire, visiting vineyards and scaling ramparts. Here's a list.

Both from Making Magique

*After some searching and trying to remember more than "et ta marraine aussi" and the "oui ouis," I FOUND IT:

Pub SNCF carte Kiwi 1987 by odilederey

Memorial Brunch

2011-05-31T10:00:00.002-04:00

Dogsitting in the West Village all weekend, I had the ability to swan around in a nearly empty part of town as all the rich people went to the Hamptons and the Cape. What did that mean specifically? No wait for brunch at the derplicious Elephant and Castle.

Eggs 'n Apples Benedict with bacon

Curry burger and a drooling manfriend.

'Twas a glorious brunch and a fantastic weekend.

KitchenAid Art

2011-05-25T15:00:00.003-04:00

Hey everybody, check out this cool thing I got.

It's a poster from A Vintage Poster that I ordered for my kitchen.

A true likeness.

Get this: it's a print of my actual KitchenAid—same colors and everything. The print will probably go somewhere nearby my KitchenAid so it can stare at itself when I'm gone. But the packaging of the envelope? Blowing my mind right now.

And of course, most importantly, the print matches my outfit today. (New shoes, ya dig?)

24

2011-05-23T12:00:00.002-04:00

I turned 24 on the 17th... 24! I'm almost in my MID TWENTIES. GAH.

I'm such a hedonist that it ended up being almost like any other day: pizza takeout from Paulie Gee's. Watching a seriously camp movie (Daybreakers). Wine.

Of course, I did get an assortment of pretty pastel gifts. It's going to be a great pre-quarter life crisis year.

Derby Day

2011-05-09T12:00:00.001-04:00

Brooklyn Taco Co.

A stroll through Greenpoint

Thrifting

Derby Party at Pete's Candy Store

Sunday:

Pre-Ikea brunch at Fort Defiance in Red Hook

And, after putting together some furniture (or, on my part, mostly watching it get put together), a late, touristy dinner in China.

One Year

2011-05-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

It's been a year to the day since I stood on a corner in the East Village—too early for a first date—edgy and excited and not hungry in the least. It made dinner interesting when one of us was too nervous to eat.

After much hot sauce, and home improvement and concerts and good food and lazy Sundays and so much else, I'm glad to say we're still taking dumb photobooth pictures like our first one—from the second date.

Happy anniversary, C, I love you.

And Then There Was Jess

2011-05-02T22:51:00.001-04:00

When Jess comes to town it is a special time. Katie's boyfriend (and my regular friend), Ryan, flew Jess in from Houston as a birthday surprise for Katie. Somehow, neither Ryan nor I spilled the beans beforehand. That means Jess FREAKED THE CUSS out of Katie by hugging her from behind as we three hung out at a bar.

We spent the entire weekend drinking, shopping and eating: these are the things Veg, or Veggie/ Veggiecakes/Vegerschnitzel is good at, and I think we are pretty seasoned as well.

Friday night we got Schillers and introduced Jess to the "New York scene." Boyfriend and I had a date with The Kills, but I met up with the group the next morning for brunch at The Breslin, a tour of Eataly and tons of shopping. I bought old lady sandals and a boater, so that made my weekend. Saturday night was one of my favorite places—Brinkley's.

Sunday I picked up my camera for the first time in like, ever. Here's what we looked like in the harsh morning light at Pies 'N Thighs.

We drank again. I'm assuming it's fine after noon and beer cocktails are cool all day anyway.

I had this creation, topped off with Frank's to make my heart sing.

Other people got chicken and waffles.

We thrifted, most notably at the Flea, where Ryan picked up this creature.

Other shenanigans were performed.

(Me: "Jess come over here." Jess: "There's no more nipples.")

Ginger ale from Radish.

And we enjoyed the thrifts of our labor at The Levee, world renowned for its cheeseballs.

Check it out: the old gang reunites. And then we sent Veggie back to Texas with strict instructions to move back to the best coast tomorrow.

The Estate of Things

2011-05-02T19:00:00.000-04:00

My recent family jewelry acquisitions have stoked the "want old stuff" flames. Now, I'm left with a hankering to constantly window shop online. Stores like Erie Basin and Victorian Spirit Rings have amazing (I hate to call them "pieces," but...) pieces passing through all the time. Catbird sometimes has reproductions or jewelry inspired by Victorian and Edwardian styles. The Hairpin is a big supporter of "estate jewelry." So it's not exactly an easy thing to avoid.

It's just so cool—stones were even shaped differently back then, when everything was cut by hand. I love the teeny tiny diamonds and the seed pearls.

I guess that makes me a cheap date.

The first thing that got me hooked, after my grandma's stuff, was this REGARD ring:

The description:

A "regard" ring in the Victorian tradition, but probably dating to the early 1900s. The first letter of each gemstone spells out "regard" from left to right (Ruby-Emerald-Garnet-Amethyst-Ruby-Diamond).

Whaaa how cool. Come on.

History, man.

Wills and Kate

2011-04-28T11:00:00.001-04:00

From last night:

Mom: What are you doing for the wedding. I think i will watch until time for work then tape the rest. My sister is taking the day off to watch.

Me: [possibly inebriated] Everyone I know thinks it's not cool to care about it but I totally care and who cares what other people think.

Mom: Good for you, when did you ever really care what other people think?

Guess I can reveal I totally bought one of these. Kitsch AND a reminder of my childhood crush on Wills? Sold.

(Image from here)

Easter Extravaganza

2011-04-25T12:00:00.003-04:00

My Easter weekend took place in historic Essex, CT, where my boyfriend's family lives.

We got picked up from the train station by a potentially off-duty stripper. Crowl tried on her accessories.

There was a bridal shower for the Kronnes and everyone gambled.

The gambling continued at MGM Casino, even though I usually decide to spend my money on Etsy and overpriced lunches rather than Kitty Glitter.

And the lovely, talented and criminally attractive Auntie Fab and I pretended to serenade the Saturday night potluck.

Easter lunch was held at Bill's Seafood; I had lobster bisque and a lobster roll. Because THAT is what one does in Connecticut.

Thank you to the whole bunch for a fantastic weekend. (I even got Easter baskets, guys.) I'm about 10000% more excited about the Kronne wedding in Vegas, which is not too far off now. Need to get some sequins immediately.

Dust Then Rain

2011-04-18T12:00:00.005-04:00

With the boyfriend moving into a railroad apartment in Greenpoint and me always in need of cheap secondhand stuff to fill my apartment, Saturday was set aside for shopping. I stirred up enough dust to keep me sneezing all day.

There were huge mirrors,

Sparkly little hats,

And finally, success for me at Stella Dallas.

Consequently, the '50s dress is sitting on an original Eames chair at Katie and Ryan's apartment on the UWS, where we went for a dinner party that night. The dress and chair were swapping stories about the good old days, I assume.

Katie’s a big Apartment Therapy/Design Sponge fan, so their apartment is stunning.

Ryan made strong drinks,

Crowl blended into the couch,

While the Kryans misdirected their hunger.

And the food wasn’t too shabby, either. Beef Stroganoff ravioli? Don’t mind if we do.

I brought a carrot cake

Which got eaten top down. There’s just something magical about cream cheese frosting. Put that on my tombstone.

We spent the rest of the night dodging the rain and listening to the thunder. (Nobody was harmed in the taking of this photo.)

Close to Home Fleas

2011-04-11T20:00:00.001-04:00

Just before starting a couch bender on Sunday (couch bender: in which one sits on the couch for a very long time), I went to the Brooklyn Flea. It just moved to Williamsburg at the beginning of the month. So, it was pretty fantastic walking 8 minutes, rather than taking a 30 minute bus or subway, to the site of great revelry and overpriced antiques.

I had a cream soda while an apathetic stranger lurked behind me:

He got Milktruck:

And everyone was happy.

(Not quite as gluttonous as last time. For the best, probably.)

The Met and Los Mets

2011-04-11T12:00:00.001-04:00

What a triumph, Saturday! What a long, adventure-filled, iPhone camera-captured time. Behold:

Part I: The Met

My uncle invited me to see Le Comte Ory at the Met. It's a gorgeous, funny opera with men in drag, a woman singing a castrato part and glorious costumes. I was in heaven.

I had fished this cocktail dress out of my closet and hey! It still fits! Excellent.

Then it was off to the Met for the afternoon's festivities. Lincoln Center is a gorgeous area of the city and the sunshine made it even more magical as it bounced off expensive dentures and crystal chandeliers.

My cousin Michael, who I hadn't seen in probably 10 years, came with my aunt and uncle. We hit it off and had a great time with the dancing men in drag and watching the sets move in between songs. Did you know there's a threesome on stage?

Then I changed gears in every sort of direction.

Part II: Los Mets

My boyfriend's future sort of brother-in-law got tickets to see the Mets play at Citi Field. I sprinted to Queens! (Not really.)

Dubra Dave

'Twas cold and we wore free hats

Took prom photos

Standing spooned with dudes

Tenderly kissed

See?

And the long, tired ride home

Saturday!

Hummingbird

2011-04-08T16:30:00.001-04:00

Friday calls for cupcakes. I used my (semi)new Hummingbird Bakery cookbook to concoct two dozen of London's finest.

My sous-chef was très excited.

And lo: pink frosting! Nom.

Hey Baby

2011-04-06T07:19:00.000-04:00

I was proud of myself this morning. I got up, went for a run and made it farther than I had expected to go. But the only thing I could take away from this morning? Was that, a block away from my house, I got catcalled by a bunch of old, fat warehouse workers.

It infuriates me that people think we don't think we live in a rape culture. [Read that.] That people think grown men—at their work, in a neighborhood community that is nearly 100% safe and a block away from a magnet school—are allowed in some way to make kissy noises en masse at a young woman.

It's not a looks thing. You think I looked attractive after my run?

It's a power thing. They see a woman getting up early, trying to take care of herself in some way and they want to bring that down. They wanted to make me feel helpless. And it worked.

I wanted to scream at them. Do they have daughters, or sisters or mothers? How would they like it if a GROUP of men attacked them like that? Because, while (thank God) nobody touched me, or even got close to me, I still felt targeted because I'm a woman.

Not that it matters, but I wasn't in their way. I specifically crossed the street so I wouldn't interfere with their work in any way. But even if I had run through the center of the warehouse, calling a woman names isn't okay.

In the past, I've gotten grabbed on the street while walking. I've been catcalled day and night and been called names and heard kissy sounds. I am lucky to never have been through anything worse than that. But the idea that some people blame the victim of rape for how they look, or act or even for just being there at the wrong time? I want to throw something. Rape is a power issue, and thinking that catcalling or anything more than that is just a part of life needs to be stopped.

/back to pictures of food and talk of less serious things

Spooked

2011-04-05T18:30:00.000-04:00

Recently I came across (Tumblr'd, probably, but who knows) whispers of a failed Spooks/MI5 spinoff. Now, I'm a huge Spooks fan. It's like Alias combined with darrrk creepy scenes of London combined with delicious Merchant Ivory posh accents. Spooks Code 9, I says to myself. Hm.

After no small amount of poking around, I discovered that the show takes place in 2012, after a nuclear bomb is detonated at the London Olympics. London is destroyed and MI5 recruits a young (and sexy, obviously) team to infiltrate any future terrorist cells and protect the world! W00t! I... got a hold of the six episodes. And I was GRIPPED.

GRIPPED, I SAY!

Spooks Code 9 promo by hamster1992

The hero is a young mathematician (who keeps going, "How could I be useful to the team? I'm a MATHEMATICIAN." Dude. You are well aware that knowing math could be helpful in trillions of ways. Which is why you bothered to study it in the first place. Cripes.). There's two chicks, one of whom we are to view as the "hot one" and one who is actually funny, interesting, smart and has radiation sickness. WHOA, right? Another one is a former doctor wrapped up in some kind of murder conspiracy that never gets resolved. Then there's two other dudes that basically talk a few times and serve no other purpose than taking up space, as far as I can tell.

Antics abound! The actual writing is terrible, of course, and the plot drags like a mothercusser. The idea behind it, though: that London is a wasteland, that the country is facing another bomb of that magnitude, that someone within MI5 is behind the attack... That's what got me.

And of course, since the show got cancelled after one season, the season finale cliffhanger is tragic. Major sighs.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you have oodles of interest in intriguing but poorly written British dramas, but there you are. And the tagline?

For Queen, for country, for kicks

COME ON.

Images from here and here

Housekeeping

2011-04-04T19:54:00.000-04:00

I don't want to shock anyone [Mom] but I just did a grocery shop on the way home, came back to the intoxicating scent of a blooming flower plant I bought/watered/am now enjoying, fixed some hooks that weren't getting the gist of my plaster wall, laid out my veggies for dinner and am formulating a cookie-baking plan of attack. I do, however, draw the line at washing my festering, long overdue pile of laundry. It's heavy. The laundromat is kinda far.

There's only so much one woman can do in a night. Plus, I've got all of this to watch.