and if i can't have everything...

Tuesday Commute: Slightly better but still Painful

2011-03-15T21:10:00.000-04:00

I've decided to document briefly my a.m. experiences to prove to myself that I am not, in fact, exaggerating about the horrors of the NYC subway, and hopefully to purge the anxiety caused by my morning commute. Perhaps if I look forward to blogging about what's happened to me on the train, I won't feel like screaming in the middle of the train while it's stuck underground (anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine's stuck and her internal monologue? Yeah, that's me everyday.) Ok here we go:

Day: Tuesday

Train: E

Time entered train: 8:06 a.m.

Time departed from train: 8:42 a.m.

Length of ride: 36 minutes

Length ride SHOULD have been: 20-25 minutes

Number of times following phrases was heard, "Ladies and gentleman, we are delayed because of train traffic ahead of us. Please be patient:" 3

Ability to actually be patient: Somewhat able

Number of times conductor uttered incomprehensible garble over the train's speaker system: 1

Number of words among this garble that were discernible: 1

Word(s) understood, if applicable: "malfunction" Context of which was unknown as no other words could be deciphered

Number of times train stopped underground: 4

Frustration scale (1 to 10 - 10 being closest to losing it): 6

Until tomorrow folks - lets see what Wednesday's trip brings!

A New Series: The MTA may be the death of me...or at least of my sanity

2011-03-14T21:40:00.001-04:00

I don't think I am alone in my belief that the MTA and particularly the NYC subway system is perhaps the most poorly run organization ever and causes more stress to its passengers (who, I might add, most often have no other choice for transport) than tax season, moving or the DMV. Yes, it's that bad.

So I've decided to document briefly my a.m. experiences to prove to myself that I am not, in fact, exaggerating, and hopefully to purge the anxiety caused by my morning commute. Perhaps if I look forward to blogging about what's happened to me on the train, I won't feel like screaming in the middle of the train while it's stuck underground (anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine's stuck and her internal monologue? Yeah, that's me everyday.) Ok here we go:

Day: Monday (already annoyed, clearly)

Train: F

Time entered train: 7:55 a.m. (Was very happy to have started my journey early as had just left from gym - will be on time - no - early - to work - yay!)

Time departed from train: 8:40 a.m. (Complete and utter anxiety in nearly full swing now)

Length of ride: 45 minutes.

Length ride SHOULD have been: 20-25 minutes.

Number of times following phrases was heard, "Ladies and gentleman, we are delayed because of train traffic ahead of us. Please be patient:" 7

Ability to actually be patient: Impossible.

Number of times conductor uttered incomprehensible garble over the train's speaker system: 3

Number of words among this garble that were discernible: 0

Number of times train stopped underground: Countless

Frustration scale (1 to 10 - 10 being closest to losing it): 9.5

Until tomorrow folks - lets see what Tuesday's trip brings!

NYFW: Nicole Miller Gets Galacticly Precise for Fall 2011

2011-02-13T21:29:00.007-05:00

I'll be the first to admit - I'm not your typical fashionista.

What I mean is that I love fashion, but I don't live, breathe and blog for it - as many a Tumblr sent to New York Fashion Week does.

However, I do know a thing or two. And I find that as I get older and observe more and more from the best metropolitan vantage point anyone interested in fashion could ask for (NYC of course), I'm starting to feel more confident in my assessment of the what's hot and what's not...for lack of a better phrase.

Which is why I feel OK about saying that Nicole Miller's Spring 2011 line was, let's say, less than I'd expected. But I should preface that by saying that I did appreciate the designs - it was the execution I found to be lacking.

As such a prolific designer and well-known name, I had thought I'd be blown away when watching her models walk the runway. But for the most part, I was not. And I blame the construction of the garments: the fit was somewhat ill on many of the models and the materials looked sort of drab. But there were definitely some pieces where I saw a lot of potential - and I especially enjoyed her pants, and felt that some of them might even look good two feet shorter and four sizes bigger (aka, on me!)

When I looked back at the photos of the show though, I was surprised at how well some of the garments registered on film. This one for instance:

It doesn't look so bad here, but at the show, I thought it was dreadful.

Some of the looks were far too space-age-y for my taste. I'm rarely known to say this, but some were actually TOO '80s for me. Like this one:

It's outer galaxy wear meets Let's Get Physical with those above the knee leggings. Is that too harsh? I guess I just don't enjoy.

This, though, I do like, and could see as translatable:

Sure, it's a little other-worldly too, but I'm loving the shapes and lines and think the pants are so fresh.

Makeup by James Kaliardos for MAC was simple but precise, I suppose the same vibe Miller was going for in this line. While I do believe she got that spot on in her designs, I only hope that once these hit the racks their seams, folds and fit will look a little less rushed.

The Moment of Truth: Meeting Trent...Almost

2011-01-27T21:59:00.004-05:00

There are few things in life I've fantasized about as much as this. No, I didn't draw pictures or plan out my future wedding dress, as many young girls do. I didn't draw pictures or plan out my future house or my future car or my future anything, really, as most young girls did. But there is something I did draw pictures of as a young girl, in a about seventh grade, to be exact.

Trent Reznor.

I distinctly remember the sketch. I was quite proud of it. The shading, the detail, the care with which I studied a picture I found on the computer (which wasn't as easy or instantaneous pre-Google Images.) I don't know where that picture is today, but I never forgot its significance. He was the first celebrity I'd ever become truly enamored with, and to this day is perhaps the only one.

You can imagine what the idea of meeting him would do to me, and the fantasies I've had of what I'd say, how I would contain myself, what the setting would be...

So when I found out he was giving a "talk" at the Times Center as part of NYTimes' Arts & Leisure week, I sprinted to the computer to purchase tix.

The day came and I went with Rebecca, who appreciated my excitement in the way that only a few choice people in my life can, and was of course excited herself (a fellow NIN fan).

As he walked on stage, the heart palpitations quickened, but very soon after he and the interviewer started talking, they just as quickly died.

I blame the interviewer. His name: Jon Pareles. His occupation: decorated music critic and musician of countless instruments, author of countless musical analyses, etc., etc. What his credentials amounted to: A terrible interview with a less than approachable interviewee and a superbly awkward interviewer, which all amounted to an hour and a half of pretty bad journalism.

I take that back. An hour and 15 minutes of bad journalism. The last 15 minutes was opened to the audience for questions, and that's when, thank god, real questions arose. I ran to the microphone as fast as I've run to catch a subway closing its doors, and got the third spot in line. I then realized, in minutes I would be asking Trent Reznor a question, and he would be looking right at me and then answering said question, essentially TALKING TO ME.

The heart palpitations were back in full force - much stronger this time particularly because I had no clue at all what I was going to ask him.

I decided I was not going to go the way of the crowd and ask him some intellectualized question about music that I didn't really care to know the answer to. (I didn't mention, though it was implied, that every question Mr. Pareles asked was about music, to the point of mind-numbing boredom - think, "Why did you choose to use that sustained D in..." Shoot me.)

So I decided - if there's one thing I know about, at least a little, it's social media, and I know that Trent took a lot of flack for his dabbling in and stepping out of it namely via an infamous Twitter account.

My time came and I decided I couldn't let it pass without gushing just a teeny tiny bit. So here's basically what I said (mind you, this is the best memory I have of it - I pretty much blanked out before, during and after from nerves):

"I have to gush just a little bit myself. I'm probably not as much of a music aficionado as many of the people in this room. But I remember that in seventh grade, a boy who liked me showed up at my door with Pretty Hate Machine. And the rest is history. But I wanted to ask you, you recently got married and used social media to gush about your new-found happiness and took some criticism for that. It seemed a lot of people were talking in the press - or maybe it was just on Twitter - about your image upset by the fact that you were, well, happy. How did you deal with that backlash?"

I took a deep breath, having actually gotten through this and still being able to breathe, and stepped back to wait for his answer. Needless to say, it was sort of disappointing. He dodged the question for the most part, diverting attention to the fact that people who were doing that were crazy (which got an audience laugh, so more points there) and not really saying much about how he really feels about social media - which I think was a big miss for him, since the entire talk he was giving was meant to be about his role as the score composer for The Social Network (for which he won a Golden Globe a few weeks later.)

All in all, the thrill of having him look at me as I was actually speaking words TO HIM, was worth it all - even worth sitting through an entirely boring interview that I'd paid nearly 40 bux for.

Maybe one day I'll really meet Trent - without a microphone and an audience between us. But as his lyric said, "If I can't have everything, well then just give me a taste."

At least I got that.

Kelly Eats a Pound of Salt at Millesime.

2011-01-19T23:31:00.007-05:00

My stomach was not thanking me this morning for all the fried goodies I ate while at the opening for Millesime last night. At the time it seemed like a great idea. It always does: no dinner, just lots of little bites of appetizer thingys that get passed around on fancy silver platters. "That will get me through and will totally be the same as dinner."

It's not. It never is.

I must say, though, that as far as passed Hors d'œuvres go, this spot did it right, with an oyster bar (perhaps the new trend?) to boot, and made for an opening classier than any I've been to in recent memory (despite my complete fried food overdose).

Something about the scene was just on; the right people, the right mood, the right live band (and A capella group) the right design. Perhaps running into good friends helped shape my perspective, but the crowd was undeniably chic in that classic, New-York-at-its-best way. I don't know that Millesime, the new seafood brasserie in the Carlton Hotel (which replaced the long abandoned Country, finally) will always have such a swanky vibe, but one can only hope.

I should note that the three vodka, strawberry, soda drinks I had perhaps played a note in the morning-after-stomach-agony, but I'm chalking most of it up to the fried calamari and french fries that were deliciously packed with enough salt to cure an entire pig.

A little of what's going on

2011-01-15T15:18:00.005-05:00

I haven't shared much lately about what I've been doing. It's time.

Let's start with this. It's my company's "radio station" as I like to call it. All the interviews are done by yours truly. You'll hear stuff in there on defense, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, supply chain and more. It's kept me quite busy. In fact, busy enough that I recently received the company's honor of "Rookie of the Year." It's only been six months so I was pretty stoked.

Been doing some makeup here and there, as you may have seen in a recent post. Kent, the excellently talented photographer I shot that with, was recently on a CBS special about KodaChrome. He rocks.

I'm gearing up to go skiing this weekend. I haven't been in about 7 years so this should be interesting.

I took a CopyWriting class in the city last week with a woman I know from BeautyNewsNYC (which I should be working on right now.) It was fun to talk about writing in a different way - though I feel I only scraped the surface of what it could be like.

Last Friday I went to the Times Center to hear Trent Reznor talk to a reporter who was pretty much the worst interviewer they could have put to the already-difficult challenge of interviewing my favorite front man. But it was Trent, and he was talking, so I was mesmerized. And then I got to ask him a question, directly. My life was changed. Ok, dramatic. More to come on that.

I'm thinking about cutting my hair. I mean, I always cut my hair. But this time maybe something different. I'm getting bored of it.

Perhaps I'll follow with some musings about things - as I miss doing that.

Makeup - Matrix Style

2010-12-13T08:44:00.005-05:00

Perhaps posting small updates here and there about what I've been doing is a good way to start getting back into the (personal) blog thing...that is, besides Palooza reporting, of course.

In that vein, here's some snaps of makeup from this weekend. Shoot with super amazing fantastic photographer Kent Miller, and the gorgeous Abby Watson. The theme was Trinity, as in the Matrix Trinity...but of course we had to get a nice black dress beauty shot in there too. Enjoy.

Pizzapalooza 2010: The event of the century - this time...it's PIZZA

2010-12-08T15:35:00.007-05:00

NEW YORK, New York (December 8, 2010) - The Palooza's LLC, are proud to announce the inaugural Pizzapalooza event, launched in part due to the overwhelming success of the company's first event, Wingapalooza.

The original Palooza team has reconvened for this sure-to-be groundbreaking event in which four contestants, that's right, FOUR (obviously superior to Wingapalooza's three) will compete against each other to eat an entire pizza quicker than their competitors.

Details of the event are as follows:

Pizzapalooza 2010
December 9, 6:00 p.m.
151 E 60th Street #1
b/w Lex & 3rd
New York, NY

Already, the response has been outstanding as eager attendees anxiously await the contest. Just a small sampling of public opinion can be seen here:

"I'm going to Mariella's on Wednesday night, because I literally can't wait for Pizzapalooza."
- LeighAnn Tobia

"Contrary to what you might have heard; I do care."
- Sarah Cascone

"I'm really looking forward to the competition; I've always wanted to be in a palooza."
- Joel Lestrad, official competitor

"I can eat a pizza in four minutes."
- Robert LaSalle, official competitor

"Pizzapalooza is a family friendly event."
- Ryan Fleischauser, official competitor

"Pizzapalooza has been created based on feedback from Wingapalooza attendees. It's the most requested and anticipated palooza yet."
- Seth Adler, official competitor

"Isn't it weird that my job requires that I talk a lot, yet part of my name is the word hush?"
- Kelly Hushin

"That's an oxymoron."
- Jonathan Massoud

"You're an oxymoron."
- Meghan Unger

As if the excitement weren't already overwhelming, VIP Celebrity Guest, Cheryl Fleischhauer (Ryan's Mom) & her entourage will be in attendance as well.

Competition submissions are now closed, but just because you can't compete doesn't mean you can't eat.

See you at the Palooza.

Follow the team @thepaloozas.

Pizzapalooza 2010 is sponsored by Horseshoe Brand hot sauce, which can be enjoyed on nearly any and all foods, pizza included.

The Official Wingapalooza Re-cap

2010-09-07T22:42:00.002-04:00

In case you were saddened to miss the first annual Wingapalooza:2010, the producers of the event bring you this riveting video which truly captures the heat of the battle and the excitement of the moment.

The final results of the contest were:

Winner Seth “Catfish” 2.5 pounds of wings in 17 minutes

2. Ryan “Mako” 1.95 pounds of wings in 17 minutes

3. Sarah “Tango” DQ

And without further adieu, we bring you Wingapalooza:2010 - the movie.

Announcing the ONE, the ONLY - Wingapalooza:2010

2010-08-26T22:19:00.007-04:00

NEW YORK, NY (August 27, 2010): The executive board of W.I.N.G. is proud to announce the most important competition of our decade...Wingapalooza:2010, to be held at none other than Manhattan's time-honored Heartland Brewery (full event details below).

This is the moment you've all been waiting for. You just didn't know you were.

What is Wingapalooza:2010? Besides the worst thing that could happen to your digestion, Wingapalooza:2010 is a once-in-a-lifetime, (while simultaneously annual...perhaps biannual) battle so grand it has oft been referred to in folklore as "World War Wing."

"Wingapalooza could be the greatest thing that happens to you in 2010," said Ryan Fleischhauer, Director of Communications, W.I.N.G. "Wingapalooza equals 2010."

Spectators of this fervent competition will have the privilege of watching an ungodly amount of chicken wings being consumed by a highly skilled threesome, each of whom were chosen based on no apparent qualifications other than their affection for Horseshoe brand, or shall we say "buffalo" style hot sauce (yet another anomaly inherent to the consumption of chicken wings since, of course, we are dealing with chicken - not horses or buffalos.) These proud three will compete against one another with one basic goal: to imbibe the most amount of chicken wings possible in 30 minutes. They will be judged based on two factors:

1. Number of wings eaten.
AND
2. The elusive MLOB factor, aka Meat Left on Bone.

(Pictured above would be in no way acceptable in this competition)

Who are the competitors? Hailing from all parts of the state of New York we have, in no particular order: (Please note, our competitors are also members of the W.I.N.G. executive board)

From Rhinebeck, NY: Ryan Fleischhauer, Director of Communications - aka Mako
From Brooklyn, NY: Sarah Cascone, Head Meeting Planner - aka Tango
And from Manhattan, NY (but originally FROM Long Island): Seth Adler, Director of Excitement - aka Catfish

The judges for this competition are:

Robert LaSalle - aka RoboCop
Tara Schmutzler - aka T-Rex
AND...a surprise judge who shall remain nameless.

Other key personnel for the event include:

Meghan Unger, Head Meeting Planner - aka Cash
Amanda Aslan, Marketing Manager - aka Red Hot
AND myself, Kelly Hushin, Director of Social Media - aka Speakeasy

PLEASE NOTE: Seating for Wingapalooza:2010 is limited. Right now, ONLY 23 seats remain. In order to reserve your coveted spot you MUST comment on the blog below with a reply of, "Yes, I will attend Wingapalooza:2010 because my very livelihood depends on my attendance!" or something equally enthusiastic...or perhaps not enthusiastic at all. In fact, an "I'll be there" would presumably suffice.

In making your decision, please do heed the words of Catfish (Seth Adler) who said, "While there will be a finite number of people attending Wingapalooza:2010, it will be in the hearts of millions."

And no better place for such an event than the Heartland Brewery.

Specific details follow:

Wingapalooza:2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Doors: 6:00 p.m.
Competition: 6:15 p.m.
Attire: business casual

Heartland Brewery
1285 6th Avenue at 51st Street
New York, NY

This event is not to be missed (despite the fact that yours truly will miss it, not to mention the fact that I do not even eat chicken - which only proves my dedication to the event's greatness...that I should take on such a crucial role in its making while not being able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.)

All media inquiries should be directed to Red Hot, while questions about the venue should be directed to Cash or Tango.

Again, place your comments below to reserve your spot, and get ready for a night to be remembered.

And I just keep tumbling...

2010-05-13T08:51:00.002-04:00

Loving this space.

Very British. Are you surprised I love it?

Click here to see where it is...but I warn you, you will have to click again. And even then it's still somewhat mysterious, and only now about to open its doors...

A purple bed I like

2010-05-11T00:08:00.000-04:00

Check out me tumblr

Shoes.

2010-05-03T18:53:00.003-04:00

Is $279 too much for these?

Oh, wait, nevermind. Sold out.

Of course they are.

Thanks Gilt.

So hot though.

2010 will be the LAST year I don't own a smartphone

2010-04-29T17:53:00.007-04:00

Mark my words. I will not go another year (after this one, seeing as I JUST got a new phone) without either a Blackberry or an iPhone. You're probably all thinking, "How could you not already HAVE one?!"

I know, people, I know.

It's just sad.

And as if I wasn't sad enough - I get the following message on my G-mail from none other than THE Paul Mass:

Paul: hey kelly...we launched MAC cosmetics mobile today...check out www.maccosmetics.com on your phone

To which I replied:

me: excuse me
is this spam??

and the conversation continued...

Paul: you use mac stuff, don't you?

me: haha yes - i am a MAC makeup artist
but this sounded like a spam message

Paul: no, its real

me: wow
that's great!
except i don't have a smart phone
:(
i have an old school, non-blackberry, non-iphone

Paul: still works
as long as you have web

me: ok
how do i get there
i mean i visit the MAC site like daily
but how do i get to whatever you created

Paul: get to the web on your phone
just go to maccosmetics.com

me: i can't go to the web on my phone!
that's my point

Paul: you should blog about it :) (which I'm obviously doing)
somewhere, buried in that old phone is the web somehwere

me: yes but i believe it charges me like a million dollars a second to transfer any kind of data -
and to be honest, i wouldn't even know how to get there

Paul: ok, just thought i'd mention it
you can also sort of see what it looks like on your comp
by going to http://m.maccosmetics.com and make the browser skinny

Well - let's just say that going to the website on my COMPUTER, and making the browser "skinny" is essentially the equivalent of going to Magnolia Bakery and getting a black coffee. If you're not gonna get the cupcake, why bother going? And if you don't have a smartphone, why bother with the super-cool app?

Siiigghhh.

Hence my needing a new phone.

Like, yesterday.

Giving tumblr a try

2010-04-20T09:51:00.002-04:00

Not sure what I think yet about tumblr. I need more time to play with it. What are your thoughts?

Oh British design, Why are you so brilliant?

2010-04-19T22:26:00.002-04:00

I'm kind of in love with the first shot on this blog. Perhaps it's because wall coverings are my number one design obsession. If I actually was able to put a nice one up on a wall some day, I think I'd have issues deciding on one pattern and one wall, because I want them all!
Even the baby room is cute. I mean, if baby rooms could look like THIS, then maybe one day I'd think about wanting one...maybe.

Sally Conran is the stylist/design mastermind behind these shots - though I must say I could care less about the food. I'm much more interested in the wall coverings. Ok, I know, enough already...

It tastes and smells like Spring!

2010-04-10T15:22:00.003-04:00

After our outing to the Trump SoHo opening, the boyfriend and I decided to celebrate our two-year anniversary with a proper night out. We had gone to New Paltz over the weekend to celebrate, but wanted to give it its due attention with a dinner at a real restaurant – eggplant fries at P&G’s in New Paltz was fun, but we needed to treat ourselves just a bit more. So we turned to an old standby which never disappoints: Cowgirl.

If you haven’t been to this adorable Tex-Mex joint in the West Village, you must. It’s not new, and it’s not even that trendy anymore, but it’s good. REALLY good. Everything I’ve ever eaten there has been delicious, and the atmosphere is so warm and friendly. When springtime hits, the patio tables fill up fast, which has already begun to happen. We got lucky and arrived just as a check was handed to a two-top, and were able to snag it for our romantic eat-outing.

There is nothing like sitting outdoors at a restaurant in Manhattan with good food, good company and good weather. The first time of the season that you get to do it, you remember all over again why spring makes you happy and how the city can make you happy. I’ve decided to do it more this year because of that feeling – one that I don’t think will ever get old.

Trumping through SoHo...or wherever that new hotel really is

2010-04-08T18:03:00.009-04:00

For months and months and months – many of them – people have been abuzz about Trump SoHo, a new condo-hotel tower set open in the trendiest of Manhattan’s villages. Just what the luxury market has been waiting for – a building full of hotel rooms you can buy…that don’t have kitchens but are called “condos”…that you can only stay in for a small percentage of the year even though you “own” them…that you can’t sleep in for more than 28 consecutive days at a time despite your “ownership”…and that cost you more than a house in the Hamptons. And that isn't really in the city's trendiest of villages...I don't know whether the location really is SoHo, actually.

As silly as the concept may seem, and as little as they’ll talk about whether it’s going to work, sure enough the hotel had its soft-opening celebration on Tuesday night and the grand opening is coming this Friday (sadly, I will miss it as I’m en route to Phoenix as I type.)

Dan and I checked it out and I wore a cute and springy getup that I thought would be appropriate for the Wednesday evening soiree. Little did I know that black was the required color, or so it seemed from a scan of the all-too serious crowd. Women were decked in sexy LBD’s and there were Dan and I with our springy browns, corals and yellows.

Perhaps Donald Trump Jr. and his entourage was, but I certainly was not concerned.

So what was it like? There are touches that really enhance such as leather-lined elevators and calf-skin furniture (that apparently isn’t real, so don’t get too worked up.)

David Rockwell and his team surely created a sexy-chic environment in the lobby and Anthony DiGuiseppe helped out with other public spaces like the spa, which is yet to open. The rooms? I am under-whelmed. While the views of the river and downtown are nothing short of spectacular, the “living” spaces, as they essentially are meant to be inhabited by the very rich, for very short spans of time, and then rented to other very rich, are bland. The beds look comfy and luxe, but that’s about all the room has got. There isn’t a distinct theme or statement to be made with the design.

But maybe that’s what Rockwell wanted…understated. If so, he’s done it well. I’d like to know the quality of the fittings specified. To me, they looked rather standard – nothing over the top. And if they are high-quality furnishings, he surely doesn’t call attention to them. Maybe this is exactly how he wants people to react. After all, the very, very rich may not always know all that much about design, but they will know if something is cheap. And it certainly gives off no such air.

As I ponder it back and forth in my head I realize, yes, I am under-whelmed by its design elements. But I’m starting to think that was intentional and I think I have to give it another look…

Teary-eyed at my desk

2010-04-05T15:29:00.003-04:00

This is why my boyfriend is the best.

(It is our two-year anniversary today and this is the e-mail I just opened.)

Dear Kelly,
Happy 2 year anniversary my love
Two years ago I saw a girl at a party who I thought was really pretty
and who I instantly felt attracted to - who knew that 2 years later
she would be the love of my life and the person I grow more and more
close to and never want to be without.
I love you so much, you are the best thing in my life and I feel so
lucky to be with you baby - I can't wait to do so many things together
Love,
Dan

Yes, you are allowed to throw up in your mouth at the mushiness of this. But if you are in a relationship (a good one) you know you're smiling inside.

One day...

2010-03-30T11:34:00.006-04:00

...I shall have thee!

Mr. Dries Van Noten - why must this shoe cost a month's rent?

I know, I have to get over it. Thus is the life of a designer shoe.

It's hard being a shoe. But really, can't we negotiate? I mean, your adorable Mediterranean-esque pattern with its silver embossing and neon green accented heel...it's all just too much to live without. I don't think I can last...

No?

$798 it is, eh?

Ok fine. I'll wait for Gilt Groupe.

A Fashionable 40 Under 40

2010-03-29T10:55:00.003-04:00

Remember when we all used to watch Project Runway religiously? Ok, so maybe I'm the only one who doesn't anymore. I guess after Christian, I felt it just lost a little pizazz. Or maybe it was just that he was impossible for anyone to live up to. Kind of like the first season of Idol - how could anyone's pipes top Kelly Clarkson?

Well if you don't agree that Christian was simply the best, I might pose an argument by citing this year's Crain's 40 Under 40. He's one of 'em - and rightfully so.

That fashion-savvy little man (who is relatively nice in person - though when I met him, his boyfriend Brad was way more adorable and friendly) has proven himself like no other and never ceases to amaze me with his creative fashion powers. So Christian, here's to your accomplishments - Congrats!

Happy Hour

2010-03-25T16:15:00.004-04:00

I'd been hearing all about this place in Time Out New York (since I randomly get a subscription to it without ever having asked to - not going to complain) called "Rye House." Apparently it's the new place to be. Since it's only four blocks down from the boyfriend's work, Wednesday after a long day of recruiting at the Purchase College Career Fair, I headed in, met him and we decided to check it out.

Our first indulgence was the Green Flash Double Stout, brewed in Cali with an 8.80% ABV. We split it because, well, I've become a light weight in my old age and can't handle too much brew though I do love it oh so much. This was a good one - VERY good. Sweet and smooth and creamy, just the way a stout should be. And extra full-bodied with a thick and milky head and chocolately goodness. Yummy.

The next treat was a Left Hand Milk Stout, a little less toxic at only 5.2% ABV, and since we split it, we effectively only had one beer each - totally manageable, and a cheap date to boot! This one is brewed in Colorado and was not nearly as impressive as the first, though not a bad pick. Had I to do it over, I would have switched the order, had the lighter one first. The Left Hand is a bit on the watery side for me - almost no head, but because it's light and mild, it's very easy to drink.

Next time, we're going to indulge in one of the specialty cocktails there - like the Appleseed Cobbler, with Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Laird’s Bonded Applejack, cinnamon bark syrup and apples. Did someone say dessert?

Time for More 'V's' - a Vegas Digression

2010-03-23T21:29:00.021-04:00

So as promised in my last post which was (I shudder in embarrassment) almost two weeks ago - there are more V's to discuss. But since some of them are old news, I think it's best not to get caught up in their despair. I'll briefly summarize:

Verizon is a massive black hole of a company whose only concern is to take your money - preferably in the most unjust manner possible. You can try to fight them, but you will not win. Trust me, if there's any girl with fight in her for such things, it's me. And I lost...terribly. I admit, I'm not 100 percent over it, but I am moving on...

Another V - Las Vegas - is also old news at this point - though I will chat about that for at least a few moments since it's a happy digression. For the first time, I traveled to Las Vegas and thoroughly enjoyed myself, despite being sick, not drinking, and not going to a single bar or club the entire time. Sure, in the past, my Vegas trips have been fun, but they've also been a whirlwind of trade shows, too many people and lots of drinking. Lots.

This time, I took the trip alone to attend the Las Vegas Market Center week and the first ever "InspireDesign" trade show which took place within it. The shows had some noteworthy points, like my on-air interview with Nancy O'Dell (which was completely unplanned and unexpected - I didn't even know who she was until I got there and her "people" told me...that's why you get for not having TV).

Or the Italian exhibitor space with lion-head chairs and some other pretty cool items. But it was the alone time, the time to walk around and really take in the city, that I appreciated most.

I stayed in the three hotels at CityCenter, the just completed, mega-development right off the Strip near Planet Hollywood and New York, New York.

It wasn't easy switching hotels every single night, but it allowed me to really experience the hospitality venues at CityCenter, and I'm glad I got a full-picture of them.

During my time in Vegas, I had the good fortune of making it OFF the Strip for the first time. I visited Todd-Avery Lenahan, of ABA Design Studio, in his offices near the "Red Rock" I've always heard about.

I didn't have too long to enjoy the view, but I at least got to see what it was all about and started to realize the appeal of living in and around Vegas. Before this trip, I never could comprehend why anyone in their right mind would willingly go to Sin City. And suddenly - driving down what seemed like a never-ending road leading straight into the rock - I realized that this place is breathtaking.

There's much more I could go on about from the trip, like my first time to a restaurant in Vegas I actually enjoyed, which - go figure - is not a hip, new, trendy spot, but an old standby; Mon Ami Gabi, inside Paris.

Or I could talk about the less than amazing dinner I had at - go figure - a few new and trendy restaurants in the city. I could even talk all about some more happy happenings, like the new friends I made from Hunter Douglas Hospitality. But I will leave you with this, and perhaps this is directed toward one or two people in particular, but it translates:

Las Vegas? I like it now.

A Series of V's: Part I - Volvo on a Mission...to End my Sanity

2010-03-11T23:26:00.013-05:00

I am really bad at resolutions. I mean, really bad. Look at this – the third blog in 2010. I had promised I would write one a week. What’s with me? Ugh. Well – I suppose I should cut myself a SMALL break since life has been pretty stressful over in Sleepy Hollow/Ossining/NYC/Las Vegas/Cayman Islands and various other pit stops which I will try to tell you stories about in the coming weeks. I can pretty much boil the stress of the past few months down to a few things, and somehow they all begin with V – perhaps a vendetta? Too coincidental not to be, I think.

The first V would be for Volvo…and I will leave this entry solely for that. In the coming blogs you’ll get to hear my rants about my other V gripes – and of course I will intersperse that with some happy thoughts, so as not to spread my cynicism TOO far and wide. (This plan of course being dependent on whether or not I can actually stick to my blogging resolution.) Just to tease you, some of the V's involved include Verizon, Vegas and venom. But for now, back to the number one V – yes, my trusty 1996 Volvo has betrayed me folks…and we’re still in a fight – a big one. And just as a warning, if you have ZERO interest in cars or car stories - this is not for you.

It all began about a month and a half ago when in the parking lot of Stop & Shop my car decided it would not like to start. With much persuasion, and coaching from the one and only Uncle Walter (he is THE Volvo man for those of you who didn’t know – and pretty much the greatest uncle ever), it started, but immediately stalled once I thought it might be nice to drive it instead of sitting there with it running in park. Then came the towing – to the Getty down the street where for the next week a dialogue – mostly in sophisticated Spanglish – took place between myself and “George” which went something like this:

Me: Hola George. Como esta mi auto?
George: It’s no ready yet.
Me: Ok. When – ur – cuando…ready?
George: Maybe today, maybe tomorrow.

After a few days, the car was finally “ready” after the team of mecanicos had determined my timing belt had jumped, for no particular reason. When I went to retrieve it, alas, it would not start again.

Guess it’s not ready, huh Jorge? I mean George.

George: Well, I tol you you need a tune-up.
Me: You didn’t tell me that George.
George: Yes, Willy say you need tune-up, new spark plug, wires…
Me: Well George, "Willy" didn’t tell me I need tune-up for mi auto to start!

I gave them the clearance to do the spark plugs and some other minor fix ups…the rest would be left for someone I could trust and knows what they are doing; aka Uncle Walter.

A week or two later, after a trip home to CT and a thorough investigation from UW, the car was driving well, everything seemed grand. So, imagine my surprise when on a Friday night, as I'm preparing to make the 45 minute trip to Queens for the weekend (with plans to leave from Dan's house on Sunday for JFK to Las Vegas) I'm driving at a steady 40 miles an hour, and my car starts bucking, is nearly going to stall or do something equally terrifying, and the Check Engine light begins to incessantly blink. Obviously Jorge and Willy's spark plugs didn't do the trick, and somehow managed to fool UW with a job that had masked whatever was the real problem. I decided it was time for the big guns: the White Plains Volvo shop.

After their professional investigation, they conclude, "You need new spark plugs." Might I remind you, I just got some 'a those. Reeeaaaaallllly would prefer NOT to buy more. This week.

Sighhh.

A mandatory consultation with UW, who also consulted with the White Plains Volov man, left me with no choice but to listen to him and let them do the spark plugs. Again. All was well...for a while....

One week later, as I'm again driving 40 miles an hour down this same road (adjacent to the cemetery which perhaps is some eerie sign), the car starts misbehaving again.

I immediately have a breakdown. Not the car. Me. Crying, panicking, hysterics, you name it. I am DONE with this car. I call UW, cry, complain, whine, etc. He is helpless as he is in CT and I am in NY. Neither of us have an answer.

So back to the Volvo dealer she went. They kept her for three days. Drove 70 miles. Nothing happened. I was left with no choice but to take her back into my rightful arms, though at this point those arms weren't exactly open and welcoming.

I've since had it for about two weeks - and while it has acted up slightly, it doesn't seem to want to show me what's really wrong. I'm beginning to feel like a player in a troubled relationship where an underlying massive issue looms, but the person having it is too afraid to say it aloud for fear of that problem becoming real and thus needing a solution. Maybe my Volvo is ready to quit on me, but she can't muster up the courage to say so.

Is it because I never gave you a name? If you're listening, I haven't quit you yet! (Though I must say you sure are testing me.)

If anyone HAS gotten through all of this and has any suggestions or knowledge of cars - I'm all ears.

Dedicated to Mooka with Love

2010-01-18T22:40:00.011-05:00

One of life's most heart-breaking ordeals comes with losing a beloved household pet. There is something about the affection a family has for its dog or its pet that is unlike the affection we have for any other living thing. Perhaps it's a dog's innocence, it's unyielding desire to make its owners happy and proud. Maybe it's because they're so darn cute and once we fall in love with them we can't help but yearn to cuddle them. The joy you can bring to a dog and the joy it brings to you is one of life's simple pleasures that is irreplaceable and invaluable. While all of us who have owned one know the day will come, it is never easy when it does. And though it may take time to get to a place of acceptance, once you do, the best gift you can give to yourself and to another dog is a life as good as that of your last's.

Here's to the happiness and joy that one Mooka the Magnificent, brought to the Iacobucci, Hushin and many other family's lives. Auntie Lori, Uncle Walter, Matthew and Andrew - Mooka loved you very much and she was one of the luckiest dogs I've ever known. Mooka, we all love you and will miss you Girlfriend.

Travel and Tenants

2010-01-08T17:19:00.008-05:00

I can't believe how fast 2010 is already whizzing by. Before I know it I'm going to be in Vegas (the end of the month) checking out CityCenter and InspireDesign. I'm excited to see CityCenter as it seems like forever ago that I first heard of its development and now it's finally here. I'm not sure whether I'll be supremely impressed by it or totally disgusted, as I tend to be with most things Vegas. I'm hoping for a pleasant surprise.

If anyone has any insider tips about anything else (design-related) that I should be sure to see while I'm on the Strip, drop me a line because I'm trying to pack the sched. as tight as possible with cool stuff. I'm not sure why, but I have a strange inkling that this might be the first trip where I really enjoy Las Vegas. We'll see...

After Vegas I come back to NYC for about a month and then I'll be whisked away to the Cayman Islands on a sure-to-be fabulous trip being organized be the lovely KWE Group for their client, a new cottage-style beach hotel called The Cotton Tree. The woman who designed the property is a native islander and apparently a self-taught designer. After speaking with a few people lately about this whole "home-away-from-home" cottage-style of hotel design, I'm thinking it might be a trend. Perhaps people going away need to feel the comforts of home to reduce stress since we all know the past year has given us lots of that.

Speaking of stress...

I've been on the hunt for a new roommate since Shalon is moving out after her surprise XMas engagement. I am sure at this point - 95 Beekman Ave., Apt. 349W is a lucky marriage apartment. If you are looking to get hitched, move in! The record is 2-1, the one not engaged being me, the two being Samantha and now Shalon.

If you know of anyone looking for an apartment (or a marriage proposal) please pass along the word. It's a gloriously spacious and well-appointed place not far from all you need - and only a 35 min. train ride to Manhattan.

I have plenty more details for you.

And one more random question: Can anyone recommend an inexpensive vacuum cleaner? I'm thinking under $100 but sucks up long blonde hairs like nobody's business. I am welcoming suggestions, please.

That's about all I can muster to write at this point - too much happening in the brain to make sentences now.

NYE and blue aliens

2010-01-02T12:18:00.006-05:00

As a New Year's Resolution, I have decided to blog again. I stopped for...oh I dunno...forever. When was my last post? Must have been at least four months ago. Well anyhow, looking ahead rather than behind - I resolved to post at least once a week - which shouldn't be too difficult. But I am already behind since I had resolved to start on Jan. 1st. Ah well. Here I am. That's what matters, right?

How was everyone's New Year's eve? What did you all do? I'm curious. Mine was pretty low key though completely satisfying. Dan and I went to the Chowder House bar inside the Empire Hotel - which is very adorable - definitely worth a visit. The cocktails are reasonably priced and the atmosphere is great - chic but un-pretentious. The Kelly Margarita (no bias or anything) is delish as is the one with Patron silver (the name escapes me, I guess not as memorable as the former.)

Then we walked up a few blocks past Lincoln Center to see Avatar in 3D IMAX which I must say was quite the experience. While I can't say too much for the movie's plot - it's as cliche and structured as Hollywood blockbusters come - it is absolutely the must stunning visual display you will ever see at a theater...an IMAX 3D theater that is. Granted, I've never been to a 3D movie before, and it was my first IMAX experience as well. But I think it's safe to say that I couldn't have chosen a better first time flick for an IMAX 3D explosive. It is complete sensory overload and of the best kind. I felt as though I was on the Na'vi planet with the big blue creatures and I didn't really want to leave.

If for no other reason than its sheer visual sensation, you must see this movie...in 3D IMAX. If you aren't blown away by its groundbreaking visual effects, then I don't know what could possibly impress you. It's that good.

Please see it and report back to me on what you think.

There has been so much else going on in life that I simply don't know where to begin other than to recount my recent Avatar experience. Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone, the annual BD photo shoot is over and here we are at 2010. So forgive me for being all over the place, but this blog is to merely collect my thoughts and give redirection to this blog which I've all but lost these past few months. I look forward to having a better presence on the blogosphere in 2010.

Happy New Year to all!

Examining Manhattan Design

2009-08-03T22:15:00.003-04:00

For those of you who weren't aware, in the little snippets of time that I seem to find in a day once every...oh, I don't know...two or three weeks, I've been writing for a website called Examiner.com. I was named the "Manhattan Architecture & Design Examiner." It's really fun actually, and I wish I had more time for it. Plus the more views I get, the more likely I'll be to actually make like 10 bucks or so. Maybe more someday...
Anyway, check out my articles, one is right here. And spread it around to your friends so more people open it. And of course, please send me ideas to write about so that hopefully I can start to post even more!

(Can you tell by my lack of blogging that I really don't have time for this or...blogging...for that matter? But hey, I'm trying!)

The Wrestler

2009-07-21T08:03:00.002-04:00

I finally got around to seeing the Wrestler the other night and have some post-viewing summations:

1. Mickey Rourke is not human for reasons including but not limited to the following:
- Real human hair would break and fall out from that much bleach
- His face looks like a combination between a once very attractive young man and an aging lion
- His body looks like the guys from 300 but supercharged
- Even with all of these superhuman characteristics, he can still act. This cannot be a normal mortal.

2. Marissa Tomei is hot. I guess I never thought of her as such. My Cousin Vinny or that famous Seinfeld episode never convinced me. This role did.

3. Pro-wrestling must be a very sad existence if life is anything like Randy the Ram’s.

4. When you go to a deli, it really doesn’t matter if the package of potato salad you ordered comes to 0.48 lb when you ordered a half-pound. Deal with it.

5. Second-hand clothing stores are entirely overlooked as great gift spots.

The Truth about NYC Parking...Revealed

2009-06-16T22:43:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, I was spending a lovely weekend in Queens (per usual) when I decided to take an afternoon excursion to Continental Ave. to make a quick return. I parked, fed the Muni Meter ticket machine and placed the parking tag in my window. I figured an hour would be enough - I really was only returning something.

Perhaps I should have factored in that my return was at Sephora.

Which of course means that my hour was equivalent to five minutes.

Naturally, I looked at my phone after what I thought could have been no longer than 20 minutes, and realized I was 10 minutes past my meter's expiration. Grabbing my bag which contained more items purchased than returned, I ran to the street only to find a traffic-enforcement-man writing a ticket for the Volvo. I ran up to him and pleaded, but of course, he had already picked up the pen and started writing on his ticket pad, which is apparently an equivalent material to the stone slabs of the 10 Commandments. The traffic violation can NOT be erased nor discarded once written into that sacred pad, how could I have not realized that?

As I was huffing and puffing to no avail, a man stopped at the nearby traffic light saw my dilemma and said, "Hey, just wait until someone comes back to their car and ask if you can have their ticket." Confused, I just stared. He continued, "If you turn in a parking tag that expires after the time on your ticket, they won't debate it."

Genius.

Even the officer had no response to this man's brilliant idea - he merely shrugged and slapped the ticket on my windshield.

Well, I took the stranger's advice and waited outside my car for a few seconds when I noticed the lights go on and the engine start up in a car two in front of mine. I approached it to find a woman and daughter, both with their windows open. Trying not to alarm them, I asked the woman if I could have her parking tag and briefly explained the situation. "As long as I don't have to be involved, sure, here you go," she said as she handed me the tag.

Wielding her tag, which expired an hour later than the time written on the ticket the officer had written me, I had a plan. A few days later, I sent in the traffic ticket along with the parking tag, proving that my meter had NOT yet expired and my ticket had been wrongfully administered. For any non-New Yorkers reading this who might not get it: the parking tags printed at the meter do NOT show any information other than the time of expiry, the date and the meter number. So all parking tags printed by one meter will read the same, the only variable being the hour of expiry, depending on how much time was purchased.

Along with the ticket and tag taken from anonymous woman and daughter, I sent a letter to the NYC parking enforcement office explaining that the officer had made a mistake and must have misread my parking tag.

A few weeks later, I received a letter from the City of New York Parking Adjudication Office saying that they had "reviewed my request" and were offering me a lower fine, $26.00 rather than $35 or $40 (can't remember which, but their offer was about $10 less than the original ticket.) The letter said that if I agreed to this concession, I should send in a check along with the letter, but if I did not accept it and felt I deserved further concessions, I should "do nothing." I would be contacted within the next four to six weeks about whether I would need to appear at traffic court or my ticket would be revoked.

So I did nothing.

Well, sure enough, a few weeks later I received a letter from the same office which said the following:

"This is a determination following a hearing-by-mail on the parking summons listed above. Respondent's general denial of the facts in the summons is supported by documentary evidence. The violation is dismissed. Total amount due = 0."

Victory!

So what's the moral of the story? If you live in New York City or often drive into it's five boroughs, don't be afraid of city parking. And if you do get a ticket and think you have a chance, fight it. And don't give up. Imagine, I could have conceded to the reduced fine and paid $26, fearing that I might have to appear in court or perhaps even pay a higher fine. Instead, I did nothing. Literally. And look what happened. All thanks to the anonymous man and his drive-by advice and the anonymous woman's willingness to part with a worthless little piece of paper that came out of a Muni Meter.

Ed2010 Beautifies

2009-06-13T09:54:00.004-04:00

So I went to this Ed2010 Beauty Editors event in the city a few weeks ago and a story surfaced on the site, sent to me by dear Ms. Marano with an e-mail saying, "You're like, so famous." Kidding, she was, of course. But, still kinda cute that I was up there with these other lovely gals.

I don't at all remember saying the second quote the reporter has me down for - perhaps I just erased that moment from my memory. Anyway, next time all your journos and writer folk are browsing the site's famous "Whisper Jobs," pop over to the Events page and see my mug :)

NIN+JA 2009 = Rock God Central

2009-06-08T23:09:00.004-04:00

I can't believe almost four months have passed since I made this post. Four months ago I found out that Trent may be making his last tour for...who knows how long...and a few months after that I found out that a big reason was probably because of his new fiance.

Biatch.

OK - I didn't mean that. She's probably a lovely girl - surely she wouldn't have landed Trent otherwise. I was just bitter that I may not see them in concert again...indefinitely.

But I don't think that will be the case. I'm sure that at some point, maybe 5 years from now, maybe 10, Trent will come back to the stage, happily married, maybe with a child or two in tow, and blow us all away like he always does.

But I digress. It was about four months ago that I found out about the NIN/JA show, and last night I saw it. Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction: a reunion tour 18 years in the making. It was back in 1991 that the two acts were together for the first Lollapalooza concert, a festival I attended last year to see NIN (who else) headline. While NIN has stayed on top of the music game since that first fest in Chi-Town, Perry Farrell's band has not fared as well, for whatever reason. Last year, the two old friends decided to bring back the early 90's magic that brought to life what is now one of the biggest annual music festivals in the world. And what a power lineup the two of them made. They rocked Jones Beach like few others could and every fan (old and young, polished and scrubby) was in their grungy glory. Last NIN show for a while or not, this was the definition of a concert worth the price of admission.

One thing I realized after seeing the show is that Trent knows his fans better than they know themselves. He declared a break not only because he needs one, but because we do. As much as I loved seeing him and the rest of NIN perform last night for the umpteenth time, it became obvious after seeing Jane's Addiction follow them, that it's time for the NIN fans to let Trent go for a while...to find some new music to get obsessed over.

As you may all know, I'm already doing that. My recent (albeit short-lived) passionate obsession with YYY was one of my obsessive spurt. The Foals was another. And then there's TV on the Radio. All worthwhile obsessive spurts though. And ones that put a refreshing spin on my musical tastes. It became painfully obvious at last night's show that not every NIN fan has moved onto new musical discoveries. In fact, it seemed that lots of them haven't moved on from 1991 at all.

Seeing Jane's Addiction take the stage after Trent gave me that sort of enlightened appreciation for all things NOT Nine Inch Nails. While Perry Farrell's energy is almost the polar opposite of Trent's (this NYTimes reviewer pegged it when she called him a "fidgety ringleader), it was still as attractive to me or perhaps even more so than Trent's. It's time for us to give Trent a chance to enjoy life - even if it is with a woman that is not me.

But really - his long history of anger, depression, doubt and angst gave us (or me anyway) years of definition via music. Listening to the band perform Terrible Lie last night, I was transported back to seventh grade, my bedroom, a cassette player Pretty Hate Machine on tape, me listening to it secretly, feeling rebellious as I fell more and more in love with the darkness and intrigue that is Nine Inch Nails. It sounds cheesy but NIN came to define much of my adolescence, and obviously resonates with many people in the same way. But we have all grown up, and so has NIN. Every time I see any concert I'm reminded more and more of how important music is in the world, in life. It would be a crime to only really know one band.

Pizza Hints

2009-06-01T14:06:00.005-04:00

These are the kinds of "hints" I get from a certain someone periodically throughout each day. But I must admit, I often give in since they are too enticing not to try. What do you think of this recipe?

I've made pizza a few times - the dough is the hardest part to get right. In fact, every time I've made it, I've done it almost exactly like this recipe states - yet it always comes out soft and thick as opposed to thin and crispy. I'll give this one a try and see how it goes.

Any pizza makers out there have any advice?

Work and Make-Up-dates

2009-06-01T12:48:00.004-04:00

Hi all. Sorry I've been MIA lately. Work and makeup and boyfriend and life in general seem to have taken over my ability to write a blog lately. I'm trying to be better now.

I have so many updates I can't even wrap my head around where to start. Right now I'm trying to prepare stories for boutique DESIGN and get ready for the next two days of being in the city on appointments, seminars, etc. So I guess for starters, before I drive myself mad thinking about everything, check out this picture of Nia from the photo shoot we did yesterday with Kent.

Isn't she gorgeous? We did several different looks on her. A few beauty looks, one pretty crazy/dramatic look and then a fashion shot outside. Tell me what you think.

Later I will give you something more juicy, I promise. But for now, just stare at Nia...she won't mind. Well, her picture won't, anyway.

Rain, Rain...F*** OFF

2009-05-29T16:35:00.000-04:00

If only life in a rain-drenched city really looked like this. Black, white and dreamy.

Unfortunately, it looks more like this.

NOT glamourous - don't let it fool you.

I AM GOING CRAZY NEW YORK! STOP RAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please?

P.S. How come when I lived in London this didn't seem to bother me a bit? Hmm, maybe it was the afternoon tea and cute London buses. They sure put a smile on a face, rain or shine.

As of Late...

2009-05-27T21:53:00.002-04:00

...I have supremely sucked at blogging.

I hereby resolve to be better. Starting tomorrow.

M.E.X.I.C.O.C.U.

2009-05-10T21:56:00.002-04:00

These past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. Between R going to L.A., me going to Mexico, getting boutique DESIGN and DREAMbooks produced and out of the office, embarking on the production of Evteks News and Fabrics & Furnishings International's Summer issue and readying myself mentally and physically for Vegas next week - I guess I've had a lot on the brain. Perhaps why I haven't much been blogging, and am now talking like Yoda.

I may be slowly losing it folks.

But - the bright side is that between all of that work, work and more work, I managed to fit in a few fun-filled activities that I'd love to gush about.

First off, there's Mexico. I haven't had much time to fill you in on my trip and what went down in the country of swine flu (which is totally being blown out of proportion, btw). For a brief rundown of the Banyan Tree Mayakoba, check out my blog on boutique DESIGN. But here, I'll tell you a little more of the fun details that BD readers may or may not be interested in. The first day at the resort, we toured the entire property from the all-pool villas to the residences that not only have their own private pools and hot tubs, but sit right on the beach overlooking the Caribbean Sea - which I do believe could not possibly be a more perfect shade of aquamarine. That night we dined at Saffron, the resort's authentic Thai restaurant. (Banyan Tree is a Thai brand with lots of properties dotting Asia and Europe, but the Mexico spot is the first North American opening.) The food - everything from green curry to roasted veggies to duck to sesame seed ice cream - was delicious, and the ambiance (an outdoor deck which juts out over the water of the resorts man-made canals) even better. It was good preparation for the next day which would be full of activity.

On Thursday, we trekked out to Coba, where we climbed the only still-climbable Mayan temple in the Riviera Maya's collection of ruins. Riding bikes through the ancient city, ziplining through the trees, canoeing through lakes and swimming in a cenote worked up quite an appetite for us journos, and sure enough it was satiated by a traditional, Mayan-style meal complete with fresh tortillas and ice-cold cervezas. Yum. Then we had to go back to the hotel and only two hours later...eat again. That was rough. But we managed - perhaps only because we weren't fed a seven-course meal like the night prior. Thank god.

The next day was Tulum - another ancient Mayan city; this one used as a trading port in the old days, and also as a giant calendar to predict the seasons and time of year by charting the solstices. Perched right on the beach, the city is as beautiful as it is haunting. I could only imagine what it must have been like thousands of years ago, living only by the sun and hoping for a plethora of goods to come your way through the port - how primitively exciting! That afternoon, after two days of trekking through ruins, it was time to be treated to an intense relaxation session, i.e. a three-hour Thai massage. How awful, right? Of course it was fabulous and of course the three hours seemed like one. I could use another round right now.

The last day, we had some time to relax, after an eco-tour through the canals of the Mayakoba development where I and the rest of the crew got to plant our very own trees! That's right, I now own a Button-wood Mangroves in the Riviera Maya...or at least that's what the Banyan Tree team has lead me to believe. After a day of lounging, we ventured to Playa del Carmen, where we happened upon the best taco bus ever. This woman sure knew how to whip up a fried jalapeno. We capped off the trip with a dinner at a traditional Mayan restaurant and were ready to head home.

As much as the adventure of the journey had me going, I was anxious to get back to NYC, especially to a certain Apt. 5K, where I was warmly welcomed with a kiss and a rose. (Note to self: think of this moment whenEVER feeling down about...well...anything.)

P.S. When I started writing this I ambitiously thought I'd cover Mexico and the Kills concert - hence the title, M.E.X.I.C.O.C.U., but I'm saving that for the next round.

Yes, I still love him

2009-05-07T14:02:00.002-04:00

And of course just as quickly as he disappoints me, he makes me proud with his bad ass moves to uphold his musical integrity.

Thus my undying love for Trent remains - despite his HORRIBLE decision to marry another.

You Got if from Your Mama

2009-05-06T10:16:00.004-04:00

If you have curly hair - the kind you want to rip out of your scalp more often than is healthy because it simply won't cooperate - then perhaps you've heard of Ouidad. If not, you need to since it's the curly girl's hair fixer-upper.

And it's likely that if this plagues you, it's on your Mama too. So treat her and you to the Ouidad Mother’s Day duo discount: Bring mom into the New York City salon between May 3rd - 17th and receive a 30% discount on her services.

Were my Mama a New Yorker, perhaps I'd bring her in myself - but instead I will be visiting her in good 'ole C-Town to take care of her post-surgery for the weekend :( She has to get her finger joint replaced and will have the dreaded club cast on for four days so I'll be there to play Ms. Nurse Daughter...at least for a day or two. We won't be able to do our usual hike in the park, but it will still be nice to spend time at home.

What will you be doing for Mommy?

Unrequited Love

2009-05-05T12:07:00.004-04:00

I thought this was the saddest moment of my life, but alas, 'twas only preparation for the REAL saddest moment of my life.

My lifelong mission for Trent is officially over.

Cry for me.

Touch Tocca (yeah, that's repetitive)

2009-05-05T11:44:00.004-04:00

Wish I could afford some of these gorgeous Italian pieces, but maybe you can. If so, send me pics. of what you bought - I'd love to see your new treasures and covet them.

Testing 1, 2

2009-05-01T15:47:00.002-04:00

The fabulously talented NYC photographer, Kent Miller and I got together for a test photo shoot on Wednesday night. While he's still working on the photos - here's a preview for you makeup lovers and/or photographers out there.

It helped of course the Elizabeth is such a natural beauty.

Zipping Through Me-He-Co

2009-04-28T16:07:00.003-04:00

On list of things to do before I die, a few were checked off just on my one trip to Mexico last week (hopefully contracting a pandemic-worthy disease will NOT be one of those check marks, that's still TBA.)

But - one was zip-lining and yes - it is now CHECKED.

More to come on the trip I swear.

Paradise

2009-04-23T09:29:00.004-04:00

It's where I am right now.

Granted it's a work thing, but the Banyan Tree Mayakoba is an oasis on the Riviera Maya that no one has to butter me up to give a good write up about.

It just deserves one.

More to come...

Listen to This

2009-04-16T23:41:00.006-04:00

Good, original, inspired music. It's not easy to find among a barrage of Britney Spears radio hits (which I shamelessly love and turn up at top volume no matter what, where or when), sappy emo twits, headbanging dimwits and rappers who care more about telling you how much money they have than laying down a good beat.

But it IS out there, if you look hard enough. Even if this guy is not your style - he's one of those left who understands the value of good composition, originality and heart. It's all in there - each track a reminder that it CAN be done. Good music is attainable - it's real - even post 1984.

Give it a listen. You may love it, you may hate it - but after hearing this album, written and produced all from the confines of a 1 BR Queens apartment by one man, I doubt you'll argue that he has talent.

And he's my boyfriend, so yeah, that helps ;)

Outrage Defined

2009-04-16T13:25:00.003-04:00

Allow me to be slightly preachy for a moment: If you thought that most Muslim countries were liberated and that they scoff at American assistance, I'm sorry, but you are sadly mistaken.

Even a decidedly liberal rag (which happens to be my go-to) reports on the atrocities of certain extremist Muslims. Women in Afghanastan are actually facing the legality of marital rape in addition to making it law that they "make themselves up" if and whenver their husband desires it. Here's an expert from the NYT article:

"One provision makes it illegal for a woman to resist her husband’s sexual advances. A second provision requires a husband’s permission for a woman to work outside the home or go to school. And a third makes it illegal for a woman to refuse to “make herself up” or “dress up” if that is what her husband wants."

It is things like this that make me realize how fortunate we women are to live in America. Can you imagine having to ASK your hubby if you can go to school - and if for some ridiculous reason he says no, you have no choice but to obey? In my book this qualifies as an outrage.

Global Warming from Stoves - Not so crazy?

2009-04-16T12:34:00.001-04:00

According to the NYT - primitive cooking from villages in third world countries could actually be contributing to global warming.

That's a hell of a lot of campfires.

just another tax complainer

2009-04-15T23:48:00.003-04:00

Am I the only one whose life seems to end and then begin again every year after April 15th? The fact that I have been doing my own taxes since I was 16 could have something to do with this. I thank my dad for that. He was always of the mindset that if I was old enough for a responsibility, I'd need to know and understand all the subsequent responsibilities it carried. Well at least that's how I look back on it.

When it was time to learn how to drive, Dad took me in his '88 Ford Ranger pickup truck with no power steering, no power breaks, a clutch that was most certainly on its way out, and a bucket seat that couldn't come close enough to the pedals for my little leggies. Yet everyday, we would take the truck to my famous "corner" until I could conquer it. What's to be "conquered" at a corner? Nothing really - unless it's a T-stop, at the top of a hill, and you're just learning to drive. For those of you who don't drive stick, stop signs atop hills are a budding driver's nightmare as it's likely you have yet to get the hang of the clutch and will inevitably stall. Stall I did. Over and over and over again. But then one day - miraculously - I got it. My right foot seemed to magically press on the gas at exactly the right pressure and speed to complement my left foot coming off the clutch. I had found the touch. And after that, I'd never stall again. Pretty much the most difficult vehicle on which to learn the art of motor vehicle operations, the pickup prepared me for anything. To this day, I wouldn't be afraid to get behind the wheel of a beat-up jalopy, slap a few pillows under my bum and hit the road.

In addition to my old car mastery, I also had to learn how to change a flat tire, put oil in my car, check fluids - you know, all those tasks that are actually quite simple yet seem to baffle many girls who've driven for decades.

Thus was the case (and in many ways, still is) with my taxes. I was 16 and started to work at the local grocery store, and soon after, the local restaurant. At year end when my W-2's came to the mailbox, I would not be sending them off to some H&R Block employee, nor would Dad be opening them, examining them and sending the appropriate tax return into the IRS without me ever seeing a Schedule A, B, or C. No, he would sit with me and make sure I understood how to fill out the form - how it works and why.

I'm actually pretty grateful he did this. There's a sense of control one feels when they know they can handle taxes - documents that are more intimidating than they are complex.

And yet every year - I do something I am markedly good at - I procrastinate. And of course every year I wait until no more than one week prior to the 15th to actually use my tax-filling-out skills. And this year...was the worst.

Had I the chance to reverse time, I would go back to January 1st - gather everything I had and do my taxes then. Alas, I cannot and instead spent days under unhealthy amounts of stress and buried under unruly heaps of documents.

Luckily, it's over - and again, the year begins.

tonight the IRS made me a bad girlfriend

2009-04-11T00:12:00.004-04:00

My adoring and fantastic boyfriend just called to tell me he was leaving his sister's art opening in Williamsburg. (I have been cozy at my apartment in Westchester all night attempting to work, watching Lost and squeezing about a million key limes to get a half of cup of lime juice for a pie I will be making tomorrow.) I - thinking this would be the goodnight conversation - was all ready to snuggle up in bed and say goodnight to my dear when he says the following,

Dan: "I have a crazy idea."
Me: "Oh yeah, what's that?"
Dan: "I was thinking I'd hope on the L and catch a train from Grand Central up to see you."
Me: (in complete shock and feeling a slight panic set in) "Are you serious?"
Dan: "Yup."
Me: "Are you sure?"
Dan: "Yup."
Me: "You're sure you want to do this?"
Dan: "Yes."
Me: (now thinking simultaneously, 'Omigod I have been squeezing limes all night thinking I'd have all day tomorrow to do my taxes' and 'Omigod I can't say no, of course I want to see him,' and 'Omigod the IRS is going to come after me because if he comes over I'm literally NOT doing my taxes,' and 'Omigod he is the best boyfriend ever how can I tell him no?!') "Ummm...OK."
Dan: "Do you want me to?"
Me: "Well of course I want you to."

Long pause here. Me thinking all of those things again and again and again.

Me: "I have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow."
Dan: "Oh, you do? Like what?"
Me: "My taxes. I have to do them tomorrow - that's it. It's tomorrow or nothing."
Dan: "Ok, so I won't come."
Me: (proceeding to have crying-fest breakdown over how awful I feel) "But I want you to come!"

You can probably predict how the rest of this went, but the highlights are Dan saying that he wanted to surprise me and had even PACKED his things to come up here, and me bawling hysterically about how I ruined it and he'll never do anything like this again for me, to which he lovingly responded that of course he would and it's not my fault and to not feel bad and every other kind thing he could say that further made me melt.

If my boyfriend decides I'm a heartless bitch and never tries to surprise me with a trip from Brooklyn or Queens all the way up to Westchester - sans car, no less - I am BLAMING THE IRS!

I. Want. This.

2009-04-08T14:38:00.005-04:00

No time for real posting here, unfortunately.

Probably won't have time to for weeks, reason being I am inundated with obscene amounts of fabrics, wallcoverings, bathroom furnishings and other interior goodies. No, they're not actually around me, but pictures of them have been flooding my inbox as we create our annual DREAMbook product guide. When I get the chance, I'll share with you some of my favorite finds.

Here's one. It's a pillow, from (I think) my new favorite textile designer, Louise Body. Ho hum, this one small item is out of my pillow budget, which currently is about -$3.00.

A Dose of BeautyNews

2009-04-03T17:34:00.003-04:00

Check out the April edition of BeautyNewsNYC and you'll see some articles from myself and friends.

One of mine is on the cover so you'll see it here.

Happy beautifying :)

NINJA

2009-04-02T23:34:00.003-04:00

If you hadn't yet heard, Nine Inch Nails is going on tour this summer with Jane's Addiction; the two together making for the ultimate 90s rock collabo - or so I'm told.

The truth is, I don't really know Jane's Addiction. At all. It's awful that I'm so Trent-obsessed, yet I'm unfamiliar with anything Perry Farrell other than "Jane Says." And yet I find that the two are often paralleled (not compared, but put together, so to speak), perhaps because of their Lollapalooza connection. Farrell founded the show back in the early 90s and Trent played the first one. The two have had a connection that's only grown since then and respect each other greatly. But somehow I never took to JA - not sure why, I just never became a fan. It's one of those things that someone like myself has no excuse for in intellectual music convos, and I've had other such strange aversions within the musical realm. I remember growing up and becoming a massive Tori Amos fan alongside friends who also loved her. But those friends equally loved Ani DiFranco. I had no idea who she was. I do now - no doubt - but at the time I thought, "Who's that, and why does she keep getting lumped in with my Tori?" If you were talking about Tori AND Ani then you obviously were not as big a fan as I was nor did you truly appreciate her genius.

Maybe it's an only-child-ism that forced me to rule out the rest of the "group." It was never this thing AND that thing for me, it was always JUST one; NIN being an example of that. Trent was enough - there was room for no other.

It's funny how we grow out of such patterns. Nowadays, I can't imagine putting one or two bands on a pedestal so high that no one else could begin to touch their greatness. Quite the opposite - I tend to find a new band every month to obsess over; almost as much as I did Tori and Trent back in seventh grade.

But then again, those two still have their pedestals for me and always will. Maybe that means I haven't changed at all - or maybe I have, but SOME things never do.

Call for Sweet Products. Please?

2009-03-31T23:37:00.003-04:00

But before I get to all that other stuff I've said I would blog about - I must tell anyone who might catch a glimpse of this that I am on the hunt for products. Very cool products. Products that can be placed in boutique hotels. Or spas. Or restaurants and nightclubs. (I.e. I'm not looking for your favorite sneakers - we're talking furnishings people.) Specifically products in the following categories: textiles, wallcoverings, bathroom, flooring and bedding.

If anything comes to mind - you know, that really awesome marble floor you saw in that office building you had that luncheon at last week, the super slick sink you saw at the bathroom of the new club you hit up last week - after the luncheon of course, the sheets in the window of Crate & Barrel (yes they have a hospitality division now) which you walked be the morning after the club, slightly hungover but coherent enough to think, "Hey, those are cool sheets."

Anything at all, send it my way and I will do the investigative work. It may end up in our annual product guide, DREAMbook and I'll owe you. Thanks y'all.

Shameful

2009-03-31T23:24:00.002-04:00

That is what my recent lack of blog posts is. Just shameful.

As I read the blogging triumphs of my friends, particularly a one Miss Isms and another Chelsea Gwynne, I am driven to utter embarrassment at my complete neglect for my own blog. I'm sorry dear, I haven't forgotten about you - really. Let's give us another shot, eh?

Alright, I shouldn't be soooo hard on myself, and considering the upcoming tidal-wave sized barrage of work that has begun to crash over me and practically drown me before I've even had a chance to meagerly try a breast stroke - the blog slacking will likely get worse.

BUT, I must remain optimistic and in so doing, here is a list of topics I plan to blog to you all about in the coming days:

- Tartuffe (yes people still perform that play)
- Auditioning when you're not an actor but sort of are at heart
- Gommorah - not the one from the bible that begins with Sodom, the movie version
- Layer Cake, round 2 (still don't get it)
- NINJA - as in Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction. Yes.
- Dangerously bold lipstick

And perhaps some other topics that cross my mind...we shall see where the wandering takes us.

"Oh Baby Baby"

2009-03-18T23:44:00.007-04:00

It is official. This is Brit's brand.

It's not just her favorite phrase to coo over pop-drenched drum beats and synthesized vocals. It's not only the key phrase of many of her biggest hits.

It is her identity.

It's somewhat sad to think one of our generation's biggest pop sensations can be pared down to a phrase that is so simple and syrupy it hurts: "Oh Baby, Baby." (Mind you, this is a very specifically-sung version of a surely popular lyric. For the purpose of this stream of consciousness of mine, disregard any connection you make with real music and this lyric.)

Perhaps you'd like examples? Surely.

Baby One More Time: "OH BABY BABY, how was I supposed to know?"

OR, also from that first classic:

"OH BABY BABY, I shouldn't have let you go."

And another?

Oops I Did it Again: "Oops I did it again. I played with your heart. Got lost in the game OH BABY BABY, oops you think I'm in love..."

Sure, I got more.

I'm a Slave 4 U: "OH BABY, Don't you wanna, dance upon me?" (OK, fine that one's missing a "baby," but I'm counting it!)

And of course...

If U Seek Amy: "OH BABY BABY have you seen Amy tonight?"

Is this all mindless? Yes. But mindless-ness as it relates to Britney is mindless-ness I like ;)

Why I Love My Boyfriend

2009-03-17T09:42:00.000-04:00

Because I wake up to e-mails like this:

And of course for many many other reasons.

<3

You're on my Radar

2009-03-15T23:28:00.002-04:00

I'm too tired now. But I'll give you a taste:

The Brit blog soon to come.

Fade Into You

2009-03-12T17:30:00.003-04:00

I was in the aisle in Stop & Shop yesterday talking to the boyf - we were discussing music - particularly the new Neko Case album that Rebecca let me burn for him since he heard one of her songs at a play reading we went to and fell in love with it. That topic led us to Mazzy Star, since Neko reminds us of her. I mentioned Fade Into You as her best and biggest hit. Well, my darling didn't remember how it went and shockingly, I could barely remember any lyrics other than the chorus line. One of my all time favorite songs, and I couldn't drum up the lyrics. Of course I had to rectify that by google-ing them immediately. In honor of this generational classic ballad, here they are. Cue in nostalgia...

I want to hold the hand inside you
I want to take a breath that's true
I look to you and I see nothing
I look to you to see the truth

You live your life
You go in shadows
You'll come apart and you'll go black
Some kind of night into your darkness
Colors your eyes with what's not there

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it's strange you never knew

A stranger's light comes on slowly
A stranger's heart without a home
You put your hands into your head
And then smiles cover your heart

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it's strange you never knew

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it's strange you never knew
I think it's strange you never knew

Are we in 2009?

2009-03-11T16:33:00.000-04:00

Shocking.

Tenant Hell

2009-03-09T22:41:00.009-04:00

Last Saturday, my dearest Samantha was moving out of our lovely apartment in the legendary Van Tassel apartment building in Sleepy Hollow that for two years now, I have fondly called home. This happened to be a day where I had no less than 86,094 things to do. Essentially a normal Saturday. One of these things I committed myself to - in addition to and during the moving of course - was baking a banana bread for my dearest Daniel. Amid rushing home from the gym, writing, and helping Sam move, I concocted my version of the Hodgson Mills bread with three times the bananas, extra almonds and...well I can't give it all away now, can I?

I was feeling pretty good about my accomplishments for the day as I poured the deliciously goopy batter into the pan and popped it in a freshly warmed oven. I jumped on to the next task: "Sam, give me a box!" I said, as I raced through the apartment on Superwoman fumes. I grabbed the largest one there was and we started our exit down the three flights of stairs. (You might think that next I'm going say that I fell or dropped the box or something equally painful, but just wait.)

As we were leaving the apartment, behind the massive box I managed to muster up the strength to ask Sam if she had her key. "Yes," she replied, as I locked the door behind me, ready to return in a few short moments to a perfectly cooked banana bread. Dan would be so proud of my multi-tasking - which so efficiently involved the cooking of the bread.

After descending the three flights and dropping the box at the curb, it came time to go back upstairs. And that's when the madness ensued...

Kelly: (calmly) "Can I have the key, I need to go take the bread out of the oven."
Sam: (calmly) "The door's propped."
Kelly: (plainly) "No it's not."
Sam: (still calm) "Yes it is, unless you un-propped it just now."
Kelly: (a tad nervous) "It's not propped, I un-propped it. Can I have the key?"
Sam: (quite baffled) "What key?"
Kelly: (tension and frustration quickly surfacing) "The key, you said you had the key."
Sam: (waving car key in my face, tension and fear now undeniable) "Yeah, the CAR key!"
Kelly: "No, the HOUSE key! You said you had it!" (DUH!)
Sam: "I don't have the HOUSE key! I have the CAR key!" (CRAP!)
Kelly: "Why the f**k would I care about your stupid car key?!" (now in a complete screaming panic while jumping up and down)
Sam: "I don't know! I thought you were being polite!" (the all-too-nice-and-innocent Sam that you cannot possibly be mad at)
Kelly: "F********************K!" (now both jumping up and down. The scene is straight out of I Love Lucy. Guess who's Lucy)

The events that happened next involved: me running to the office of course to find no one there on a Saturday, as usual; me running to find our trusty upstairs neighbor, Paul, and attacking him for his phone to retrieve the maintenance emergency number; Sam doing at least two laps around the entire block to find someone, anyone, to help, including the on-the-corner-man whose name escapes me; Sam running into several street-side bodegas looking for - I'm not sure what, really; and us discovering that our neighbor is actually a fireman. When he saw our crisis he got on the phone with a friend and we overheard, "Should I go get the axe?"

This is all happening a mere half an hour before the NEW roommate is set to move in. I suddenly have a 12-second fantasy of her walking up the stairs, suitcase in hand, move-in clothes on, ready for a new start, only to see a somewhat-hot fireman axeing down our front door. I think she would have turned around.

We got through to the emergency on-call man who should be on the property at all times. I told him we needed to be let in. Now. The oven is on. No time to waste. I hear him on the phone saying to someone else - not me - (insert ridiculously stereotypical Bronx accent), "I gotta go, there's gonna be a fi-ah!" Since I couldn't discern his words and he didn't realize I was still on the phone as he spouted complaints to his company, I decided to call him back to be sure he was on his way. He answered rudely, yelling, "YEAH! I'm comin', I'm comin', Jesus Christ!" He arrived in a huff about 15 minutes later, only to yell at us for "Ruin-in' his lunch wit his girlfriend," which he had "just sat down to," and now had wasted "25 bucks." He left more angry than he came. Sorry pal, but this IS your job.

Luckily the new roomie managed to miss all of this.

Sam rushed inside and immediately pulled the bread out of the oven.

Perhaps not surprisingly - considering mine and Sam's tendency to create mini-crises over which to panic - the bread was cooked to perfection. That night, it was consumed by the Geiger family, who knew not a thing about the near-catastrophe surrounding it's baking.

Self B-Day Present

2009-03-09T17:20:00.002-04:00

No that is not me wearing these super-hot pants. And surely the pair I bought is at least 3 sizes larger than the one painted on this leggy model. BUT - I bought them nonetheless. They look pretty fly.

And I like them.

Happy Birthday to me!

I deserve a self-b-day present, no?

Coming Soon...

2009-03-06T16:47:00.002-05:00

...guest blogger.

On my blog.

Get excited.

As Promised

2009-03-06T07:44:00.005-05:00

I know it was a while ago now that I promised a follow-up review to my initial YYY It's Blitz! impressions. Apologies - being on deadline at BD and trying to plan some semblance of a birthday didn't allow me much time for blogging. But I am here.

After listening to It's Blitz! I dunno...maybe 10 times at this point...I think I can sum up the album pretty succinctly, or at least attempt to. Here goes:

In this album - the band's third, complete studio record - the YYYs are noticeably more positive in their message. The positivity errs on the side of poppy, sometimes too closely. The angst is mostly gone. Perhaps this is a nice change for the YYYs - I can only imagine what the recording process must be like when all your band members are either angry, depressed or battling serious anxiety. But is it good for us? The loyal fans who are expecting that emotionally-charged and passionate-but-catchy sound?

The answer is both yes and no. No, for obvious reasons. We're expecting something. And we're not getting it - exactly. But can we really expect a band like YYYs not to push themselves, not to experiment? If that's what we want, we are closing our minds to the possibility that uncharted waters can be good. And luckily with It's Blitz! that is the case. Which brings me to the "yes" part. Yes it's good for us because the YYYs manage to do something new and different and do it well. The dance-vibe that the band has only touched on in the past has been mastered in new songs like Heads Will Roll and Dull Life. Even Zero makes you want to move. It's good indie rock which, in my opinion, we don't see done well often enough.

While the music's fervor is considerably less stormy, it is still charged - this time with a more get-up-and-dance affectation. Still, there are refrains within certain songs that hit that nerve - the nerve you want hit but can't quite describe how it happens. The chorus in Hysteric - though reminiscent of a Jerry Maguire line, how cliche - undeniably hits that nerve, particularly if you've got someone to relate it to.

Lucky us who do.

Love.

2009-03-03T20:03:00.004-05:00

I want.

Maybs for my bday I shall gift them to myself :)

NO, it's not because the boyf has them - I just like them! OK?!

alright maybe his new pair made me jealous...

:(

Smitten Kitten

2009-02-27T20:45:00.006-05:00

Our dream at boutique DESIGN has finally come true. You know, the one about cats! Maybe I haven't talked much about it - but now the cat's outta the...oh god, now I'm just getting cheesy. I think I'm overtired. ANYway, we've finally found reason to publish a web article about our editor-in-chief's favorite topic: CATS!

The reason? Well, we have a fun little weekly DREAMbook newsletter about product design. At the bottom we always put a little sort of "treat for distraction" like a game or a funny photo. Last week we used a picture of the cutest kitten ever (guess whose) and asked for submissions of kittens whose looks could challenge. The response was stunning. Many designers and other industry folks sent in their submissions and lead to DREAMbook's aCATemy awards.

Have fun and read our superlatives.

Embarrassing

2009-02-27T13:42:00.005-05:00

"So at one point I said that I didn't believe in the Holocaust. Well, I changed my mind. Maybe it happened. Will that make you like me?" - Dick Williamson

I'm sorry - but this is just ridiculous. This guy denies the Holocaust ever happened - no concentration camps, no gas chambers, it was all a big, blown-out farce. And then realizes that perhaps people won't like him for that. Perhaps even Catholics, whom he intends to lead, will think he's a dick. So he re-negs. And gets rewarded with the revocation of his excommunication from the church. BUT, of course, in his "statement," he never says he was wrong or that it DID actually happen:

"I can truthfully say that I regret having made such remarks, and that if I had known beforehand the full harm and hurt to which they would give rise, especially to the church, but also to survivors and relatives of victims of injustice under the Third Reich, I would not have made them. To all souls that took honest scandal from what I said, before God I apologize."

i.e. I'm sorry if what I said was insulting, but if you are or were, in fact, insulted - that's your fault.

This does not make me think happy thoughts.

Spreading the Love

2009-02-25T12:14:00.005-05:00

My dear and distant friend Chelsea (aka Chelsea Gwynne in the blogosphere) has woken me up with quite the compliment on her blog this morning - now this afternoon...wow where'd that morning go? She passed along a gift of blogging recognition to me and a few other of her fave bloggers and I couldn't be more honored as her blog is in my mind one of the best around. So now I will pass along the love to some of my own favorites - though I must say my list is not as personal as Chelsea's - most of those I follow are not run by dear friends, though some certainly are. The badge and the note:

"These blog are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight more bloggers who must choose eight more bloggers and include this cleverly written text in the body of their award."

And now some of my loves:

Chelsea Gwynne - (but of course!) for having the most reflective but also refreshing thoughts on an almost daily basis. Miss you girl!

Etre, Faire! - for writing and reflection that is both optimistic and intellectual. You MUST write more, my dearest Hannah.

A Spoonful O' ISMS - for a smart sarcasm and appreciation for the best borough unlike any other.

Carpetbagger - for always keeping me abreast on the movies of the day with wit and analysis that almost always matches mine.

HotelChatter - because I don't know where I'd be career-wise without your hospitality industry snooping and investigative/gossip reporting on the hippest hotels out there.

Take a Listen

2009-02-24T23:33:00.005-05:00

You know I can't divulge the cool secret of how to get the whole album of course (well, unless you're my friend and you ask me nicely...which everyone who reads this is my friend so basically if you want it, I'll send you the link.)

But in the meantime, with a simple click you can listen to Zero - the first single released from It's Blitz! - the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album out in April. (See below post.) In my mind this isn't actually the best track on the record, but it's the single they put out - so give it a go and let me know what you think.

yeaH. YeaH. YEAH!

2009-02-24T21:19:00.006-05:00

It's been leaked. And I've got it.

(Must give a thank you to RG for the hook up.)

It's Blitz! the name of the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album excitedly proclaims. I shall have to update you further once I've listened to the full album more than once, but here are my initial thoughts:

The whole thing sounds much softer to me than what I'd imagined and have come to expect from the YYYs. While this softness pays more homage to Karen O's clean, always fresh pipes, it also leaves something to be desired; at least for a YYY fan used to more edge. I can appreciate the haunting sort of vibe that the slower, toned-down ballad-esque songs have to offer, but I'm a fan of the raw, grittiness that I've come to define YYY by.

I shouldn't get too critical - there is some rockin' killer stuff here - in particular, on tracks two (Heads Will Roll) and five (Dull Life). Dull Life starts out slow like it is going to be a downer, and then suddenly the drums kick in and the heavy guitar and suddenly you have a signature YYY-make-you-want-to-jump-around-swing-your-hair track. Karen repeatedly laments, "It's a dull life," but this song is far from that and so is her proclamation that it is. It slows down for a refrain that sets up for the perfect re-build and subsequent breakdown. They've remembered that their followers expect such song construction from YYY. It's what they're all about and this song nails it.

Heads Will Roll is hot. Immediately you know it's a dancer. And not just because Karen says, "dance till you're dead" within in the first 10 seconds, but because the synth immediately lets you know. It's got a bit of late '80s, early '90s dance music feel, but that's fine by me. In fact, I got that feel from a lot of the dance-y tracks on It's Blitz! It seems like the bass could be turned up on some of these, and even the tempo picked up a bit - but perhaps finishing sound quality checks will be made for the official album. Or perhaps this is just how they want it.

The sexiest and also saddest is a track called Runaway. It's almost orchestral in its use of instruments - though I'm pretty sure they've got the standard stuff in the studio. (But who knows these days with sound machines...) There's a lot of "Ooooh ooooh ooohs" in this one, but in no way does it seem unnatural or because there was need for filler. "All along/Not that strong/Without these open arms/Run, run, run away/Lost, lost, lost my mind," it sings.

It's Blitz! seems more coiffured than their two previous records. It's an absolute departure from their typical style - which perhaps is testament to the YYYs' trust in their fans to follow them wherever in the music world they choose to go next. You won't find any Art Star-screaming on this record, though you will hear Karen's sexily distinguished shrieks, which seem to be more polished these days. The album doesn't have anything quite on par with Gold Lion or Black Tongue - but those will be hard for the trio to ever top, in my opinion.

What I do know for sure is this: I can't F-ing WAIT for the tour. Will be stalking their myspace page hourly until those details surface.

Check. Me. Out.

2009-02-24T08:17:00.005-05:00

OK, check out Michael and Rebecca too...I guess...I mean...I GUESS they're the stars of the show...

:(

Haha, just kidding - I don't mind being behind the makeup brush and out of the camera at all. Did some hot looks for RG - she's got pics up on her Facebook. I'll post some when I get the bigger files. In the meantime, just read the BD blog.

And We're Live, Folks!

2009-02-21T14:29:00.003-05:00

(What a terrible still it has landed on, ah well.)

So...I've received confirmation that my application for The Best Job in the World has been accepted! What does this mean? Well - I'm not sure. Perhaps nothing. BUT - the more people like you view it and rate it, the more likely it will be seen by the higher-ups over there, right? I'm not sure, but I can only hope.

What am I talking about anyway? I know I've been sort of elusive here. I guess I was trying to get the damn thing done and never bothered talking about what it was. OK, so here goes...

About a month and a half or so ago, I came across an AP article in the NYTimes about something being called, "The Best Job in the World." Intrigued of course, I read it. I learned quickly that the tourism board of Queensland, Australia, was looking for the perfect person to basically be their resident pseudo-journalist for six months. In reality, the job is more like Queensland's face of PR than its face of journalism. They want someone to live on one of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef for six months, experiencing everything from swimming through the coral to hiking the terrain to bonding with the locals. In return for partaking in these seemingly-fabulous adventures, the person will blog weekly via video and other media. The person will be paid a whopping $100,000 to do this and live in a lush 3-bedroom house starting in July.

It seemed too good to be true. Perhaps it is. But I wasn't willing to let it slip by me without at least giving it a shot. So I got my act together and with the help of a certain Red-head-itor, shot a movie of myself, describing why I think I'm the best gal for the gig. I only had 60 seconds to work with. That's a lot harder than people may realize. The resulting one-minute film was something somewhat amateur, but also honest and heartfelt. I hope the reviewers feel that, anyway.

As someone who has traveled to very distant lands and found myself relishing almost every minute of every trek, whether alone or with friends, for work or for pleasure, I couldn't imagine a better six months, nor a better person to talk about really living in a place. When I lived in London, I was one of the few folks in my group who made a concerted effort to be-friend REAL English folks, even though I was surrounded by dozens of Americans who were much easier to be-friend than the reluctant and suspicious foreigners. When I went to Como, Italy, I stayed in a hotel about an hour from my work destination - because even though I was there for work, I wanted to take the opportunity to truly experience the culture of the place, even down to the daily bus commute across the country-side. When I was in Belgium, I made sure one of our work contacts took me out for an authentic Belgian beer and meal, and sure enough he took me to a place I would have never found on my own. I could keep going, but I think the point has been made: I can't underestimate the importance of allowing oneself to understand and appreciate culture on a very personal level. This is why I think putting me in a foreign place and expecting me to convey to the world why it is worthy of a visit or even a life, would be a rewarding choice both for the employer's choosing this winner and myself.

But...here's the catch: lots of people also heard about this opportunity. I mean, lots. When the Times article was published in the middle of January, 200,000 people had already applied. Today was the deadline. How many have sent in their pitches? Who knows. I wouldn't doubt that it could be a million, making my chances exceedingly slimmer. There's also the issue of what I'd be leaving behind. But obviously this is a mere dream at this point. I'll cross those bridges if I should ever actually come to them. My chances of getting in are slim. Very slim. But I'd be kicking myself eternally if I never gave it a shot.

With that said, I hope you'll give a look at my video and give it a decent rating - if you like it, of course. Well, actually, just give it a good rating anyway, will ya?

done and DONE

2009-02-19T07:08:00.003-05:00

I finally hit the "submit" button today. No turning back now.

Let the anticipation begin.

please tell me he's kidding

2009-02-17T19:44:00.005-05:00

Joaquin Phoenix has lost it. And it's forced David Letterman to perform at his best. Phoenix' lack of interest in anything brought the A-game out of Letterman and made for a 5-minute performance that's priceless.

I hope he's not serious about the whole hip-hop thing. Sorry Joaquin, we already have a Matisyahu, there's no room for a look alike or any other such nonsense.

And the Money Woes Continue

2009-02-17T19:19:00.004-05:00

I recall a fleeting idea to move out west (CA specifically) for a while - you know - for a change in pace. Not that it's out of the question, but reading this has made that seem somewhat less appealing.

Then there's the whole auto catastrophe. I always lived by the Uncle Walter philosophy - don't buy new cars. I don't know how many other people have lived by that, but apparently enough to put one of America's main manufacturing segments into dire straits.

And finally of course there's the banks - many of which are as good as dead. I heard a report on NPR this morning on my way back from Queens to Westchester (a drive I find oddly soothing and pleasant in either direction) where a former hedge fund manager referred to these major banks as "Zombie Banks." They're neither alive nor dead, but there is no way to bring them back to life. Just like in Night of the Living Dead, you HAVE to kill them - that's the only way to start anew. It's a scary thought - on many levels - but I'm sort of leaning toward agreeing with it.

Not to get all political or economical on y'all - in fact I'm not expert in either field. But it's pretty darn hard to not talk about this stuff these days.

The Saddest Moment of my Life

2009-02-16T19:14:00.006-05:00

Was reading this.

Guess I'm going to see a LOT of Trent this year. It's my last chance folks, wish me luck in getting to him.

I Just Might be Into It...

2009-02-11T20:21:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking about seeing He's Just Not that Into You. Is that totally crazy? It's so not like me. I usually run from those kinds of films. But I'm somehow drawn to it. If you've seen it and it sucks, please warn me before I actually waste ten bucks - or more.

Lost on soon. Now THAT'S worth my viewing time - no doubt.

Botched Facial or Crying Catastrophe - Not Sure

2009-02-11T17:36:00.001-05:00

So last night I got this awesome (or so I thought) facial at Tribeca Beauty Bar. I went in with flaky, dull skin and a few minor blackheads on the nose area. You know - nothing major - but definitely an obvious non-facial regular.

When I left, I was glowing. Like, really glowing. And I felt awesome.

Thennnn...my night turned kinda...well...let's just say bad. This "badness" I speak of resulted in a tidal wave of tears which lasted no less than two hours. Once I took a second to look in the mirror, it was as if my tear trail had been emblazoned onto my face in bright, tomato red. I went to sleep and woke up in the same state.

Presently, my face is on fire. And red as hell to boot. I'm sure the crying didn't help anything, but somehow I feel like this is not normal. And considering that I get a facial oh...I don't know...maybe once a...umm...well, this was the second one ever...I have a feeling that tingly mushroom scrub may have something to do with this.

I'd take a picture but I'd rather you continue reading my blog and not run away from the site of me. So instead, I'll leave you with this image so you can imagine the loveliness of the treatment process itself - which was magnificent, I must say - and help me forget about my current cherry-like existence.

Holy Lineup

2009-02-03T23:18:00.003-05:00

Umm. So. Yea.

Bonnaroo. 2009.

nin. TV on the Radio. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Erykah Badu. Mars Volta. Neko Case.

That lineup?

I may have to go to ANOTHER music festival this year.

The thought of it is making me shriek like a little schoolgirl. Ok, maybe that's only happening on the inside. But still.

Roadtrip, camp-out blowout - Who's with me?

BeautyNews O.D.

2009-02-02T17:45:00.005-05:00

Just in case you weren't aware - I mean, of course you ARE, but just in case - the Feb. issue of BeautyNewsNYC is up and there's some fun reading from some familiar folks. There's a cover story from me on VDay hair products, a cool contribution from a hotel CEO about budget travel, a cute review from Becks about Sassoon salon, and a very special guest appearance from my very own BF. He's quite the writer you know :)

Fly Like Paper Get High Like Planes

2009-01-31T09:46:00.000-05:00

It often takes me at least a whole day to decide if I really liked a movie or really hated it - I guess it's like that for me with many things. But, it took me a few seconds to know I liked Slumdog Millionaire. And then, the next day, I decided that I really liked it. And that I totally love Dev Patel (the adorable lead character, Jamal.)

Why did I like it so much? Is it because everyone else liked it? I don't think so. I hated Benjamin Button, and it seems everyone in or around "The Academy" thought that was fantastic - good enough even to be nominated for 13 awards.

Is it because it was a touching love story? Partly, but not totally. There have been lots of "love stories" that I've found to be completely gag-worthy. Sleepless in Seattle? No thanks. The Notebook? Make me vomit. I am pretty sure the love factor wasn't it.

Maybe it's because the music grabbed me. Well, I gotta give it props for that. Whoever the sound director was did an excellent job at choosing authentic Indian and American hip hop music to contribute to the film's grit. But that's still not it.

Although all of these things helped to make for what I believe was a great flick, I think the one thing that stuck with me was the overall feeling of sincerity and authenticity. It showed us some horrific realities about the slums of India, but not in such a way as to say, "Oh, look at these poor slumdogs living in India, how horrible, don't you feel bad for them?" No. It was more like, "This is India. Yes, it's bad here. So? That's not the point."

Here was a kid who's just like any of us - he wants to love and be loved. Simple as that. All of the horrific things that happened to him growing up gave him the drive to go after what he wanted - his companion.

Perhaps that's an all too simplistic description of a movie with a lot of things to say, but generally I like to boil down how I feel about something into as simple a statement as possible.

Gonna teach you tricks that'll blow your mongrel mind

2009-01-30T08:13:00.000-05:00

Song of the day. Or maybe of the week. Or month:

Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio.

You know how sometimes a song makes a reappearance in your life and suddenly it's on repeat in every music playing device you own? Cue in Wolf Like Me. Sexy.

Say say my playmate
Won't you lay hands on me
Mirror my malady
Transfer my tragedy

Got a curse I cannot lift
Shines when the sunset shifts
When the moon is round and full
Gotta bust that box gotta gut that fish

My mind's aflame
We could jet in a stolen car
But I bet we wouldn't get too far
Before the transformation takes and bloodlust tanks and
Crave gets slaked

My mind has changed
My body's frame but god I like it
My heart's aflame
My body's strained but god I like it

My mind has changed
My body's frame but god I like it
My heart's aflame
My body's strained but god I like it

Charge me your day rate
I'll turn you out in kind
When the moon is round and full
Gonna teach you tricks that'll blow your mongrel mind
Baby doll I recognize
You're a hideous thing inside
If ever there were a lucky kind it's
You you you you

I know it's strange
another way
to get to know you
You'll never know
unless we go
so let me show you
I know it's strange
another way
to get to know you
We've got till noon
here comes the moon
so let it show you
show you now

Dream me oh dreamer
Down to the floor
Open my hands and let them
Weave onto yours

Feel me, completer
Down to my core
Open my heart and let it
Bleed onto yours

Feeding on fever
Down all fours
Show you what all that
Howl is for

Hey hey my playmate
Let me lay waste to thee
Burned down their hanging trees
It's hot here hot here hot here hot here

Got a curse we cannot lift
Shines when the sunshine shifts
There's a cure comes with a kiss
The bite that binds the gift that gives

Now that we got gone for good
Writhing under your riding hood
Tell your Gramma and your Mama too
It's true
We're howling forever

Thanks Wall Streeters for so humbly turning down your bonuses...RIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT

2009-01-29T12:03:00.005-05:00

It looks like bad news bears for the home furnishings industry. Like many other businesses, it's in trouble.

Quite a scary thought - particularly for my colleagues and I who rely on the market being stable for our own job success. This article in yesterday's Times tells all. And my favorite part is this quote from Ray Allegrezza, an editor at Furniture Today, another trade publication akin to FFI:

"If you had a billion dollars, you could buy the entire portfolio of publicly traded furniture companies, including Thomasville and La-Z-Boy, and still have money left over to go to McDonald’s."

So...in other words, one eighteenth of last year's Wall Street bonuses for a year of failure could have saved the entire furniture industry. Great.

Oscar Schmoscer

2009-01-23T20:54:00.012-05:00

I know, they announced them a few days ago - old news. But I didn't get a chance to talk about it. So I'm a little late. Sorry.

Let's get down to it. Oscar nods. This is the first year in quite some time that I've actually paid a decent amount of attention to the movies in the running. I attribute that in large part to the boyfriend - we bring out each other's film enthusiasm. (He in me more than I in him, I admit. He's got it without me, but we've found that there are few things more interesting to talk about than the complexity of a good - and sometimes a bad - movie.)

Anywho - down to business. Benjamin F-ing Button. Or as my fellow blogger and long lost college journo classmate love, Chelsea so correctly called it, Benjamin Boring. She's right. Because it was. Boring. Brad Pitt was boring. And worse yet, it was LONG and boring. Terrible combo. AND it was lame to top it off. Just lame. But if you read my previous post on it, you already know about my loathing. That said, I can't understand WHY it got 13 nominations. THIRTEEN. It should get best makeup, no doubt. Anything other than that is undeserved, in my opinion. In fact, the only review of it I read that was accurate was a one-paragraph blurb in the New Yorker that confirmed I was NOT in fact, the only hater.

Then there's Milk. Excellent. Sean Penn: Excellent. Josh Brolin: Excellent. James Franco: Hot. Oh, I meant excellent. And totally hot...but gay...in the movie, that is. Well I guess that was sort of everyone in the movie. Penn's performance was so warm - I just wanted to hug him.

Another film we saw was Man on a Wire, a fascinating documentary about the man who strung a tightrope between the twin towers in the 70s and walked across it not once but eight times. Would be very happy to see that win some statues.

I didn't see either of the Winslet films - The Reader or Revolutionary Road - but I have no hesitation in saying I believe Kate should take it all away. She is and has been one of Hollywood's most talented and graceful women I've seen in my lifetime.

There are still many nominated flicks I'd like to see, but I'm most excited to see Slumdog - which I believe is happening tomorrow night. And Frost/Nixon will probably happen sometime soon as well.

Thoughts and opinions on which other movies I should be sure to catch?

Thanks!

2009-01-23T20:48:00.003-05:00

Just want to give a shout out and big smile to everyone whose been flipping through our online issue of BD. We really appreciate the support and are excited that you guys are enjoying it. If you missed my last post, here's the link again. Happy design reading!

boutique DESIGN is totally techno

2009-01-21T11:21:00.004-05:00

I'm still a sucker for print mags - I mean, who isn't? The smell of a fresh print run, the vibrancy of a bold stripe of ink on a glossy white page, the thrill of the "flip."

But it's 2009 and life is changing. We have a new president, jobs are dropping like flies and the ones that are still alive are increasingly techno-minded. If you don't know what Twitter is, you're SO not hip. If you don't text message you might as well ditch your cell and use a payphone. If you're not on Facebook you're basically a dinosaur.

So to keep up with the world, because we always do, boutique DESIGN has gone digital. And it's way cooler than we could have ever dreamed. EVERYTHING is clickable! OK, not EVERYthing...but like everything that you'd want to click. E-mail addresses, company websites, links, etc. And you can read all of our stories without ever having to take your eyes from your screen - since we know they're glued there.

Don't worry, it's not replacing the mag - we'd never leave our fellow print lovers in the dark. Still, this might just be the future of the publishing industry, so start getting used to it.

Friday's on a Tuesday

2009-01-20T22:51:00.006-05:00

Impromptu gatherings are the best kind.

Especially when you haven't seen the folks you're meeting in FAR too long. Thanks for inviting us out Chris and Jeff - good to see you :)

Always an interesting conversation with these guys. Tonight's topics breached: sexuality, music, movies, astrology, the inauguration of BO, education, parenting, and probably a dozen others I've forgotten or can't think of. Interesting point made by Chris: Barack's speech really did rock. And the best part? He basically told the world - we're here for you, but don't F with us, cuz we'll F back. Ya heard?

Rockin.

P.S. Is it bad that one margarita - ONE - now officially puts me on buzz patrol?

Proud GF

2009-01-20T18:25:00.001-05:00

Promotion isn't quite as shameless when it's not for yourself but for your boyfriend.

What?

Oh just read it. With or without his quote it's a pretty interesting story.

Though I will argue for the pro-New Yorker side, as clearly the writer is doing. The city will never die, despite Whitney Port's despicable attempts to ruin its rep.

Cold and Tired

2009-01-16T22:05:00.002-05:00

It's gotta be the bitter cold that's making me so exhausted and un-motivated. Right? RIGGGHHHT?

Trying very unsuccessfully to do work here on this chilly Friday night. Yeah, I know, lame. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

I think I'm gonna go watch TV. Maybe there's a Seinfeld re-run on. Maybe it will be the one with the Giant Ball of Oil. "Helllllllooooo, I'm a giant ball of oil!" That's a good one.

Makeup. 4 Ever.

2009-01-14T17:31:00.001-05:00

This, I thought, is the true meaning of Sephora. This is war — and war paint, the armaments of beauty, needs to be available, stat! There is no time to sleep or bathe, but there are products to correct the damage.
- Wilson, NYTimes

An article like this is what makes me question the beauty industry and being involved in it at such an introductory level. At the same time, I have to read it with precaution as this writer obviously has no clue what the makeup world is REALLY all about. She trivializes Sephora and its employees into something no better or different than a Disney store. While I don't defend all Sephora employees - many of them really don't have a clue - I don't agree with her notion that these people are all brainless party animals who are resorting to makeup by default.

Those of us who appreciate makeup for its artistry should not be lumped into this. Even if you are working at Sephora, if you're truly passionate about your art, you'll surely get out of there and learn some valuable information in the process. If you're one of the people that Wilson is referring to in her story and your main concern is covering up hangover eye bags, I have no words for you.

Twits Unite

2009-01-14T09:15:00.003-05:00

So...under the coercion of none other than Rebecca Goldberg...I have started using Twitter. I mean, honestly, she practically shoved my face in the computer and forced my hands to the keyboard to make me sign up. I had no choice, it was total peer technology pressure. Ruthless!

Ok, umm, she actually didn't give a crap if I joined, but she did. So of course I had to check it out. In trying to see her profile - if you can even call it that - I miraculously created my own account. Now I can give minute by minute updates about what EXACTLY I'm doing. Isn't that GREAT?!

I'm not so sure. I finally figured out how to use it - but I still don't think I really get it. I have a feeling I'll be tired of it in a matter of days. That may be too generous. I think I feel the weariness setting in already...Twitter...yawn...Oh wait, no! It's cool! Update, update, what am I doing now? Update!

Nope, sorry still can't get into it.

Thoughts?

Men Really ARE from Mars

2009-01-12T22:27:00.004-05:00

A visit home served me both well and ill this weekend. Visiting home is always comforting as I'm able to see Bubba (the dog) and Cheetah (the cat) and of course hang with Mom and Dad.

Mom and Auntie Lori brought me to their gym and I can't get over my jealousy of their immaculate workout haven - which they pay TEN BUCKS a month for! So not fair. My pitiful Y membership rapes me of $30 every month. Gross.

But Uncle Walter fixed my car yet again, saving me lots of loot and just generally being the best uncle ever for doing it.

Then came my semi-annual visit to the old watering hole and former job - the Main Street. And there I got into a conversation with Tricia which was truly enlightening in that I realized just how different women are from men. Both of us - her certainly more so - had men-related woes to release. And in talking she told me something I hadn't been able to really pinpoint before. She said:

"Men need to fix things. If they can't fix it, they wonder why you're talking about it and they get frustrated that you're dwelling on it."

How true! I hadn't thought about it that way, but she continued,

"Women like to talk about these things with each other. They like to vent and pour it all out to each other and they don't mind!"

While it is our partner's jobs to be understanding and to offer their love and support, what really can they do if you have bugs in your apartment? Or if your car broke down and AAA is on the way? Or if your best friend's boyfriend is a jerk?

He wants to fix it if you're upset. And when he can't - which often is the case - he's just going to get frustrated and then you're both going to end up annoyed. So, a bit of advice; don't talk for hours to your boyfriend about how your Mom pissed you off because she accidentally bleached your shirt. There's surely something better to talk about somewhere.

Right Where It Belongs

2009-01-12T19:59:00.004-05:00

My song of the day...

See the animal in his cage that you built
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all
Right where it belongs

What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks?
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afraid to see?

What if all the worlds inside of your head
Just creations of your own?
Your devils and your gods
All the living and the dead
And you're really all alone?
You can live in this illusion
You can choose to believe
You keep looking but you can't find the woods
While you're hiding in the trees

What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you used to know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afraid to see?

- nin

I'm like the Ringleader...

2009-01-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

...I call the shots!

Stuffed in a giant stocking filled to the brim with candy, came this small rolled up scroll from my roommate to me. In it contained a poem which was to be my gift and I was to read it aloud. For those of you who can’t see it well enough, I’ll transcribe for you:

A Christmas Tale

Twas the night before Christmas
And in VT on the 3rd,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a bird.
The girls were comfy on the couch so green,
Looking out the window as the snow was a gleam.
There was nothing to do that night in the Hollow,
But they pondered and thought while sipping chocolate and mallows.
Then Sam had an idea that filled her with joy!
Better than mani's and pedi's or any old toy.
She knew this idea would thrill her roommate,
But Kelly had to know now, she just couldn't wait!
And she got so excited and her eyes filled with tears
As Sam told her they were going to see
Britney Spears!

Get ready all you Brit fans...and don't be ashamed if you are one, you know she's like a car accident - you HAVE to look. But better still, you HAVE to dance.

Gorgeous. Amazingly Talented. Totally Deserves it All.

2009-01-07T17:30:00.002-05:00

Don't you think?

Brooklyn We Go Hard

2009-01-06T23:37:00.010-05:00

I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of wish I had MTV.

Well...just for like one hour. This Wednesday night. But that's it!

"The Real World" is actually taking place somewhere cool and familiar to me - BK - and it starts this week.

But alas, it already looks like it won't be very "real." I'm sure I'd get a good few laughs out of the motley crew that's shoved in the posh apartment in NYC (so real, right), and then quickly I'd get annoyed at how they continue to visit the "hottest" Manhattan clubs, get wasted, get in fights, get kicked out and get arrested. And surely take about 120,384 cabs throughout the season, never having to sit on the F train at 3 a.m. for 45 minutes to get back home. Fo real.

From this preview which I find slightly brilliant and totally hilarious, it seems that the cast is comprised of an even more ridiculously unreal swath of characters than ever before.

I think my favorite line is in the last paragraph:

"As Chet explains when he lands in the borough, speaking just under the Brooklyn Bridge: “Brooklyn is usually spoken of as more of a place you don’t want to end up.” He is worried he might be shot." (Thank you for that wit Ms. Bellafante.)

I think Chet, the Utah native has been bumpin Jay-Z and Lil Kim on his iTouch...a bit too much. Maybe he'll get a reality check - pun intended - when he realizes a luxury waterfront loft in Red Hook isn't exactly the projects.

If you watch the premiere on Wednesday, please fill me in on all the hilarity - especially if you live in New York - because I'm sure you'll then be even more amused and I can live enviously and vicariously through your Real World watching!

Drift off. Snap out of it! Driffffttinnng off again. Crap, wake up! And snore.

2009-01-04T20:53:00.005-05:00

That's pretty much an accurate description of the three hour pain I endured watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. If you want to give three hours of your life away to a totally overrated and over-indulgent Brad Pitt celebration, by all means, fork up the change for this disaster.

But if I can prevent that from happening to you as it did me, you're welcome.

The movie mainly sucks because it's just too loaded with sap, cheese and corn - or more simply put...it's lame. It's unrealistic of course, but we can get over that. And as for romantic, that's fine too - when it's done well. (I'm a huge fan of Love Actually, which many might argue is completely unrealistic and sap-ridden, but I would argue is heartfelt and endearing.)

Button head is just embarrassing. OK, maybe I'm being to hard on him. It. Whatever. As the boyfriend said better than I could have articulated, after sitting through three hours of complete ridiculousness, one would hope that they are to take away some lesson about life or some theme that's captivating. If that's somewhere in this button mess, I couldn't find it.

And to top it off, I read this review and while giving it a thumbs up, the writer never talks about why it's so great other than the fact that technology has allowed the director the luxury of making Pitt look young again, despite his obvious signs of aging surely a function of Jolie and the baby bunch. Big deal. I can do that too. It's called makeup.

Exhuastion

2009-01-04T20:33:00.009-05:00

Is what I feel right now. Makeup is tiring. Not complaining, just truth.

Long day today but Zoe and I put together some kickin looks. I can't show them to you yet because she's entering them into a hair styling contest in her hometown, The Hague in Holland. Cool.

Here's a snapshot of what it looks like when it all goes down - though I must say this is merely a small sampling of the product explosion that often takes place during such days. (This one included.) It's always surprising how much you realize you still have to learn when you experience it - no matter how many times I'm sure that'll always be the case.

Black, Pink, Gold

2009-01-03T10:40:00.004-05:00

A few looks I'm playing with for a photo shoot this weekend. You can't see the colors and effects very well here but it's something. There's a very dramatic look with lots of blacks, a shimmery gilded look and two very bright pop looks. I'll post some pictures of the model post-shoot and see how these ideas translate.

Hiking it up

2009-01-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

Everyone who knows me probably already has seen these pics and has heard about my ice palace adventure two weeks ago in New Paltz - but it was too awesome to not talk about it again. If you live in New York and haven't been hiking here, you have no excuse. (Unless you don't have a car or something, that sort of makes sense.) Word to the wise: if there is ever a massive rain storm and then immediately following, freezing cold temperatures, get your butt outside to see what nature does to the trees...

The day I remembered I started this

2009-01-03T09:59:00.003-05:00

This is embarassing. No really. Who doesn't have a blog these days? Sitting here on my couch (actually the couch belongs to my roommate, but it's damn comfy) and staring at my To Do list, I noticed an empty line for one more item. I thought, "Hey it's a new year, why not make that something ambitous?" Maybe not ambitious, but at least a little more weighty than "return makeup to M.A.C." While that's something that happens to be of importance in my life, it's not necessarily a "life-bettering" task.

So here I am - on my blog that I created almost an entire two years ago. I guess there's a right time for everything. Let's make this time around a better one.