Thursday, December 30, 2010

post-holidaze

post-christmas, pre-new years is hardly enough time to relax, but since christmas was such a fantastic success this year, i'll just keep drinking peppermint tea and taking inventory on my presents this year. i got a bunch more stuff than is pictured, which i intended to document, but after the two i got distracted by sweets and coffee and forgot what i was doing.

penguin pj's to keep me warm when my snuggie just isn't cutting it. *not pictured: matching footies.

lush bath bombs! a whole tin gingerbread house worth! i can't wait to try them and get all wrinkled up and smelling good.

i'm off to cook up some new years desserts and drink down some wine while i do it. mazel tov!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Black Bottom Muffins

But really, once you add all that wonderful cream cheese and a bunch of chocolate chips, they kinda become cupcakes. Muffincakes? What's in a name, anyway? It's all in the flavor.



Sorry for all pics but I do believe I'm in love with these things.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Lower Those Ears


I've never been good at getting dolled up (the most I wear makeup-wise is usually concealer and some lipstick), but I always imagined that if I were a guy, I'd be well-groomed and somewhat high maintenance. Pomade, cologne, silk ties, etc. I love--and cringe--when, during an old movie, some dapper gentleman gets a straight razor shave. The shaving cream is always whipped up in a little bowl with a brush, of course. And while most guys don't care much about the whole wingtip-shoe-and-pocket-handkerchief image I'm talking about, at least they do have to get a decent haircut every now and then, right? After seeing this amazing post, I've been begging for a certain someone in NY to check out an old school barber shop just for the experience. I want to live vicariously through them. Think about it:

Want a cocktail with that shave? Try the The Blind Barber.

Maybe just something straight-up classy (hell, Steinbeck AND JFK made the trip to this barber shop)? May I recommend Paul Molé, Manhattan's oldest barber shop?

Monday, November 29, 2010

Memory Lane



When I was in second grade, we would line dance our hearts out to this song during P.E. And I loved it.

And I thought Leroy Brown was scary and kinda awesome.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

weekend off



i don't care for summer at all, but this song and video make me wish it was.

but while we're stuck in winter, i suppose i'll keep warm in this


NaKniSweMo

November was National Knit a Sweater Month (known to the knitting world as NaKniSweMo) and I decided to tackle the Acer Sweater. It knit up fairly quickly, which was good cause I still have Christmas gifts to turn my attention to.



There's nothing like a good, red wool cardigan.

Holiday Cookies, part 1 (hopefully more parts to come)

Last Monday, after weeks of dreaming about crunchy peppermint and chocolate, I got off my butt and made some peppermint bark chocolate cookies.



Good recipe, though I used Starlight round peppermints instead of candy canes and I probably scared my downstairs neighbor smashing those things with a rolling pin. And one extra note, the butter should be room temperature. Yum!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

teehee



From Yokoo's shop. Mel, it's screaming your name.

happy halloween to me!

oh lookie what we got here

i haven't been this happy about a purchase since. well. EVER. so so happy.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

werq!


this is fantastic! i get so sick of hearing bands with weak mumbly vocals and just a mess of instruments. this has such a clear, strong, commanding feel to it. whenever something comes out, i'll take one of each plz!


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

O Canada

I love my job.

There was a contest in which each team was given a small amount of money to spruce up the workplace and we decided to turn one of the conference rooms into a cozy little Canadian ski lodge. It comes complete with bear rug, elk head, AXES, and a nice little fire place to warm up beside when the weather outside is frightful. And we won most creative!





Sunday, October 10, 2010

la la la la


fantastic! how adorable and amazing is this whole thing? i want to be here in this moment.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

snap happy

ever since my trusty old polaroid camera became pretty much obsolete, general documentation of fun in the sun has come to a total halt. and after waiting for far too long to find a replacement, i've finally gone in and purchased myself one of these little white instax cameras, just in time for a mini-trip to harrisonburg to visit my sister and get in some quality time with the parents!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

im liking this


though in the end when they run into the crowd, the audience looks confused. didnt know the lyrics?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Cover Them 'Bows!

In an effort to save my bf's sweater, I decided to cover a growing hole in the elbow with a leather patch. The local fabric store didn't carry ready-made patches but did have leather scraps, so I bought some scraps and made my own! Leather's a pain, but an awl, a good old blanket stitch, and some entertainment (in the form of Sufjan's new album and Through A Glass Darkly) made it all okay.



Okay, now off I go to trivia!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Saturday, September 18, 2010

wyclef for prez. not.

i have a brand spanking new empty ipod touch that i'm in the process of filling up, and after downloading the necessities (mike rizzy podcast, this american life, the moth), i started buckling down and parousing itunes for songs that i needed to round out my playlists. during my searches, i somehow managed to stumble across wyclef's greatest hits album, which kinda surprised me that he actually had a greatest hits album out. i remember liking wyclef at a time, but i had forgotten about him till now, and after retracing my steps via youtube, i unearthed some gems that i think i'll add to my ipod. wyclef, you aren't my favorite fugee, but i still like you.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Food for Thought

I've always been more of a baker than a cook as baking just comes easier to me. Recipes seem easier to follow and I can pick up on baking techniques pretty quickly (specifically when working with pastries). But this doesn't mean I don't love cooked food; it just means I don't have that eye (or brain?) for it. There's a whole other set of techniques and flavors that I appreciate as a consumer (haha) but have a hard time replicating. I mean, I can churn out some good meals, but I'm no chef. I am and always will be an everyday kind of cook.

That said, cooking--because it comes off as a mysterious, elusive skill--fascinates me. So I've been reading about it, meaning cooking as an art form; a political platform; and a link to other cultures, other people, and the past.

Below are some of the magazines I've recently come across that feed my interest.

Gastronomica

Meatpaper

Some magazines have food issues that are also worth checking out, such as the March 2010 issue of Oxford American, and I'm pretty interested in this one as well.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Saturday, September 4, 2010

i want/ i need?

i've been on a mission for the past few weeks to get crazy healthy skin, since for all my years previously i have greatly abused it (not washing my makeup off! no spf! picking at my face!). this mission has led me through several cleansers, face creams, primers and samples of possible candidates, but all roads lead to here. the clarisonic mia. it's the key. i need it.

oh the claims are so so promising. gotta start saving my nickels and dimes!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

high brow

i've never quite realized it before, but i've amassed quite the load of makeup and beauty products. so in an effort to keep myself sifting through my inventory so i don't forget any old treasures, i'm gonna start reviewing some of my goods (oh, and to also increase consumer knowledge!). to kick off this round of reviewing, i'll start with Wet n' Wild's Arch Envy:

So I was compelled to buy this because my friend had recently bought the Anastasia Brow Fix pencil (which is amazing) and I wanted it so badly but couldn't really bring myself to spend $21 on brow gel. For some background, my eyebrows have a mind of their own. No they aren't crazy and un-tamed, but they like to spike up, spike down, spike sideways if they can throughout the day, so brow wax is like heaven to me. I used to use brow gel but I've had issues with it flaking, and that is never cute. SO, prowling through the aisles of Ulta for an alternative, I came upon this Wet n' Wild cheapo version and snagged it right up. Here's the brow wax side (obviously already used up a bit):

For the brow taming side, in comparison to the Anastasia pencil, it's definitely not as good. In terms of doing it's job for the price, it's pretty spot on. It applies easily and invisibly, and my brows for the most part stay in place (an occasional stray after several hours of work). I do have to say that after about 3 days of usage, this stuff wore down super fast, it made me wonder where all the product was going! The thing about the Anastasia pencil is that it has a more waxy consistency that practically glues your brows into place, but for Wet n' Wild's $2 price tag, I'll take my losses.

(brow liner swatches, L is slightly smudged, R is harder application)


Now for the brow liner part. This definitely does not get as much usage, pretty much for the sheer fact that it is completely the wrong color for me. My hair is black, and this brown color doesn't fade well into my stark black hair. In terms of consistency, it's really hard and not very easy to work with, so I'd much rather use eyeshadow for any brow filling I need.

Overall

For someone looking for a much much cheaper alternative to the Anastasia Brow Fix, I think this is a decent dupe. The brow color not matching was a bummer, but if you can find a color that matches your brows, even better! But considering I only really wanted the brow wax part of the pencil, I think $2 is still a nice deal. I am searching for a new replacement for my Wet n' Wild since I don't think it's gonna last me but another month, so I'll report back with some brow fixing finds.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Farewell Fête

To bid a fond farewell to our dear Hari, who is moving to New York in a couple weeks, a couple of friends and I threw a formal-ish dinner party, complete with:

good old sloe-gin fizzes, Tom Collins, and a variety of wines,

red-wine-and-lingonberry-marinated game hens (not to mention pork jowl beans, sesame seed-encrusted seared ahi tuna, obatzda, homemade rye bread, etc.),

magic tricks,

red velvet cake with a mascarpone/cream cheese/fresh whipped cream frosting (served with caramel gelato from the Split Banana),

beautiful weather, a little Sam Cooke playing in the background, and wonderful, wonderful company.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

snack machine

my new favorite sweet treats:

i've already shown this on the blog you say?

booyah! nutella and delicious milky goodness come together in one tasty little hippo. don't get it twisted.

heed the directions, and plz microwave for 5 seconds, so you can have it at optimal deliciousness, i.e. :

melty, melty baby smores.

I LOVE CHOCOLATE!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

dancing shoes

what i like to do in my spare time, or anytime really

Crystal Renn from Dossier on Vimeo.



*crystal renn for the block

toaster pastry

my recent breakfast of choice.

in other news, i did a closet cleanse and sold many many things, thus de-cluttering my closet and making me a richer woman! in much, much more exciting news, i'll be attending rock the bells this sunday, where i'll be seeing legends such as:









but yea, no big deal. SIKE. HUGE DEAL.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

r&r

a very excellent day off, if i do say so myself.

good morning desk! a cup of green tea to start the day and flipping through my blogroll.

oh hey there lady poodle. (i finally got a new desk lamp after many months of sitting way too close to my computer screen, so excited).

time to run some errands! what to wear what to wear.






































that'll do. first things first though, lunch!

now what else

how about avocado, mahi mahi, cilantro hummus and sunchips? yes please and thanks. now those errands.

time to reorganize! i also picked up some hangers since i'm overhauling my closet, but that's not so exciting.

all my babies in one place! makes my heart so happy.

lippies.

gearing up for the cold weather with some yes to carrots for the bag.

such a cute little tub!

needed a new top coat to keep my nails laquered up for longer. i do not consider this part of breaking my ban.

okay now this is breaking my ban. BUT i did go into several clothing stores and did not purchase a thing, so for day 2 of the ban, i still consider the progress successful. slow and steady wins the race.

time for dinner and some apartment cleanup. microwaveable pad thai (which btw is really good) with the snazzy new chopsticks my beau gave me.

and done.