Tuesday Commute: Slightly better but still Painful

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

Check out me tumblr

Shoes.

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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...

...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.