She's Out of My League

is actually a cute movie.

Random!

Tonight I made Francis Ford Coppola's Vesuvio pizza from his new restaurant Rustico as seen in this month's Food and Wine magazine. It was great! It's half pizza, half calzone and it has salami, rosemarybham, artichoke, red peppers, etc. on it. Yum!

In musical news I created my holiday playlist for the iPod with highly currated holiday tunes. While checking out Christmas music I also picked up a few Diana Krall songs and some Stereophonics songs. We can't forget that the Husband and I saw Elvis Costello and Diana Krall dining one night when we were at Milos! Granted, she always sounds a bit drunk when singing, but I do like her music.

Otherwise, I'll post pictures of the stockings later!

Thanks for Visiting!

Hi there! You may have received an invitation to read. Sorry to add an extra step (i.e. The need to login) but for the sake of privacy, and picture posting, I thought I might start utilizing the "invite" reader function.

So, thanks again for stopping by! (ps some Thanksgiving pictures will be posted shortly!)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

We almost went out of town, but then work schedules did not permit. (Hell, even I have a deal that's going on right now... and with folks in the UK who decidedly do NOT have Thanksgiving happening tomorrow, thank you very much).

So, instead, we've got a whole lot of food going on.

Ina Garten's smoked salmon dip (to be spread on bagels and one certified Pepperidge Farm Party Pumpernickle loaf!)

Caviar (to be put on deviled eggs... what can I say, it's low end caviar, but it is from Caviar Russe!)

Ham and Gruyere Puff Pastries

Then it's on to the traditional goodies...

A Griggstown Turkey, with stuffing (that includes sausage, apple and mushrooms), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, crescent rolls... I'd planned for onion tarts but of course, Wegman's always has to be missing at least one key ingredient and this year it was pearl onions.

To finish things off? Pumpkin Pie.

And what about "Black" Friday? Well, left over turkey made into panini with cojack cheese and apple slices, served with butternut squash soup.

Not only is it a time for good food and spending time with family and friends but it is a time for giving thanks.

So, here's a thank you for my wonderful family and friends who bring happiness to my life. And, for everyone else? They can just suck it! ;) Mahalo!

Sing-A-Ma-Jigs...

So, the Sing-A-Ma-Jigs are supposed to be one of those "big" toys this year... I'm checking them out on Toys-R-Us.com and they have some of them in stock, but with shipping the two guys who start at $9.99 become over $25.00 with shipping.

Go to Walmart.com... they have our first choice colors in stock, they're $9.00 and $8.54 respectively and shipping is FREE!

Love it!

Reason #535 Why Americans Will Always Be Idiots...

Apparently, Queen Elizabeth now has a Facebook page.

I visited it and you can tell the British users who are making posts because they open every line with "Your Majesty" and end with "God Bless You". Sure, one British poster did inquire as to whether the Queen has a favorite soccer team, but leave it to an American to post the following:


"If I become Friends with HM Queen Elizabeth II, do you think I might get invited to Prince William and Kate's wedding?? Hmm...I wonder if their registered at Pottery Barn???"

They couldn't even figure out which "they're" to use!!!

It's what's for dinner..

Tonight we had angel hair pasta with heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, artichoke hearts and sausage, with fresh ricotta. There was also a side salad and bruschetta.

Not bad.

Kind of made up for yesterdays Jambalya which did not hold up well over time... Alas basmati rice is too delicate!

Anthony Zimmer

Okay, so why did I not know that The Tourist is a remake of Anthony Zimmer until I read it today in EW?

Up in the Air

and Away We Go.


Hmpf. Late night Thursday is turning out to be a downer night on TV.

Lilly Warehouse Sale!

It's time for the Lilly Pulitzer warehouse sale! It is Nov. 19-20th at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia!! Up to 70% off original prices!

Salty or Sweet

Are you a salty or a sweet person? I know that there are some, like my Mother, who are both. (Meaning, after you have something sweet you've got to have something salty, and vice versa). For me, I'm definitely salty. While I enjoy chocolate, cookies and brownies as much as the next person (arguably, though, not as much as the next person if said next person is Miss B.), I'm much more a fan of salty things.

White Cheddar Cheez-Its, Ritz Crackers, and of course, the end-all-be-all of salty snacks: Salt and Vinegar potato chips.

Another random question: Why are there somewhere upwards of what seems like 37 different varieties of Listerine? Notably, each one more vile than the next? I was at Target the other day looking to replace a bottle which had actually been completely used and was met with a display that had to be not less than 6 feet high and four feet wide, filled with various varieties of Listerine (each with a different active ingredient). Some were plaque fighting, others antiseptic... but regardless each one works simply by burning off whatever may be foolish enough to be lingering on your teeth. Never before have I felt like I needed to counterbalance mouthwash with baking soda (or some other PH balancer).... Oy!

Mamet

Put the coffee down. Coffee is for closers.

Wondering when

the ability to spell fell out of vogue.

Is It That Time of Year Again? A Gift Guide for the Perplexed...

Yes, it may only be a few days after Halloween but the holiday season appears to be upon us. Christmas displays are already in stores, the Pillsbury people completely left behind their turkey themed Thanksgiving sugar cookies in favor of Rudolf cookies, and its just a matter of time before CBS FM starts playing Christmas jingles 24/7.

So in the spirit of the Season, below are gift ideas for you and yours.

Personalizable Jack Rogers sandals! . As if putting your monogram on something could get any better...

Well, perhaps it could, there is always a personalized Longchamp foldable tote bag.

In the way of tote bags, if you're going for early '90's chic, you could always go for the gold standard Prada Messenger Bag.

If the chic you're looking for is more of the mid-aughts chic, why not try hot pink Marc by Marc Jacobs?

If its the holiday season, humidity is low, which means dry skin abounds... so there's always the La Mer starter kit, because nothing says Christmas like a miraculous sea-weed infused miracle cure.

But what if skin care and handbags just aren't your thing?

Perhaps you're looking to provoke or otherwise annoy your vegetarian/vegan friends or PETA supporters? If so, you could always try Adrienne Landau's mink loop scarf.

While you're at it actively not supporting the ethical treatment of animals, why not go whole hog (or goat) and pick up a pair of red and turquoise distressed cowboy boots by Lucchese (FYI, in case you're wondering, I'm a 7-7 1/2).

Lastly, though I'm sure it's not tested on animals, you can still annoy your dirty-hippie gypsy friends by trying Trish McEvoy's latest Ready-to-Wear Make-up Planner.

What about the men in your life? Surely, they'll be expecting Santa to leave them a little something under the tree as well, right?

How about a lovely v-neck sweater by Malo? Nothing says pre-recession pricing like spending $1,050 on processed goat hair.

Is Purple Cashmere too sedate for the man in your life? Why not try some outrageous socks by Paul Smith. Personally, I'm always a fan of a statement maker (so long as the statement does not include a Starter Jacket or a gold chain).

Now it sounds like your man is all dressed up with no where to go. If he's willing to pull off wearing a purple cashmere sweater, we've got to assume he's a Prince fan, so why not get tickets to see his latest show at MSG. While you're at it, why not remember your special event with a ticket stub diary?

What about the kids in your life?

Personally, I'm partial to the UglyDoll Ice Bat, but if you can't decide what monster to get for your little monster, why not try the Ugly Doll Gift Set with gift tote. Or, you could always go the more creative route and design your own Muppet Whatnot.

And, for the little girl who has everything (and also wants to piss off PETA), there's Junior Gaultier's fur trim dress and striped shirt. (If you don't want to piss off PETA, you could look to all of the new offerings at Stella McCartney Kids.)

Not to be left out (or outdone by dad), you can also get a whole Paul Smith ensemb for the junior boy toddler set as well.

Now that the fam is covered, what about your four legged friends. How about a personalized dog bed for fido? (Available for cats, too, but face it, your cat will never like whatever you buy for them, so you may as well just forget it.) While you're at it, why don't you get a customized Erwin Pearl dog charm necklace? While your cat might never appreciate anything you do for it, you know your dog would buy you one of these if they had opposable thumbs or disposable income.

Are there people on your list who you're just not crazy about, but you have to give a gift to anyway? You know, co-workers, distant relatives (the ones who have sent you that same cheese crock for the past 15 years) or maybe your mailman, doorman or dog groomer? Then, going along with our aforementioned goat theme, why not buy them a share in a goat courtesy of Heifer.org. It's the perfect anti-gift. It's really not anything that most people would actually want to get, but since its a humanitarian donation they'll not be in a position to be able to complain about it! (And, I think the added bonus is it may just be a tax write-off for you, too boot). Score!

Lastly, are you looking to send a polite reminder to the friend who may have lost their way? Why not send over Toby Young's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People?

Merry Hannukah and Happy Christmas, everybody! Now, go forth and spend.

Trick or Treat?

Apparentlty, certain cities including Belleville, Illinois limit trick-or-treating to kids under 12. According to the article, its even banned for people over 12 to wear masks any other day of the year besides Halloween. I wonder what those folks would think of the Naked Cowboy?

Things We Love

Watching Casino Royale before bed and then turning on the tv in the morning and having it still be on.

Tony Stark (thanks to Miss B. requesting to watch Iron Man almost as often as she used to watch Kung Fu Panda).

2nd Avenue (the "vintage" store), though 2nd Avenue, the Avenue, will always have a special place in my heart.

Driving down Street Road.

iPad.

That Marc Jacobs makes laptop cases.

Jeggins. (Only for so long as we are below pre-pregnancy weight).

Zeta. (Even if she did bring in a tick).

Nantucket Nectars Half and Half. Damn, you, Wawa.

Wawa (the only place within a 25 mile radius that carries Half and Half, see above).

Fly Through Our Window

This
is a great post from Darby's blog.

Playlist

Warning Sign-- Coldplay
Yellow-- Coldplay
Constellations-- Jack Johnson and Eddie Vedder
Southern Cross-- Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Jimmy Buffet Live
Sweet Disposition-- The Temper Trap
Rush-- Big Audio Dynamite
How Soon Is Now? -- The Smiths
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic -- The Police
The Edge of Forever-- The Dream Academy
If You Could Read My Mind-- Scala
The Blower's Daughter-- Scala
Western Stars-- Chris Isaak
There She Goes-- Chris Isaak

Ladies Tea

On Saturday, my friends joined my for a lovely tea at the St. Regis Hotel's Astor Court. It was a lovely day for some girl time and wonderful, too, to see two of my friends' children, Noah and Maddie.

If you like high tea I would definitely recommend the Astor Court. I had thought about going to the Palm Court at the Plaza but had seen some negative reviews and in my searching I had seen a lot of good things about the St. Regis. The service was great and the high tea came with finger sandwiches, an endless pot of tea, scones (with Devonshire clotted cream and jams) and petit fours.

They also brought out a piece of birthday cheesecake (and the harpist played "Happy Birthday").

It was very mellow, very lady like and a lot of fun.

Thanks to my lady friends who joined me, it was a wonderful way to celebrate!

That's Not My Name

I love that song by the Ting Tings. It's just too damn catchy.

Oh, and, as an FYI, in business and social situations, I use my maiden name. It's on my driver's license, its on my passport. That's my name.

The Blue Flower

Many years ago a friend bought me a book at the Strand in New York. The book was The Blue Flower by Henry van Dyke. I had liked it at the time for its decorative blue boards. Tomorrow night I've been invited to an event where I've been asked to bring a book to donate.

I'd been thinking about what to donate for a bit. I've got paperbacks that I'm not that keen on and I've got multiple copies of various Eco books and two Franny and Zooeys. But I hadn't made any specific decision, until Thursday when I chose The Blue Flower.

Mysteriously, when I went to the Princeton Library book sale in the rare book section I spotted a decorative blue cover. It was The Ruling Passion by Henry van Dyke.

Van Dyke was a graduate of Princeton and the Princeton Theological Seminary.

I took it as a sign. My instinct about The Blue Flower was right.

FYI

Tonight we baked. (Or at least began some baking)... we started up a loaf of NYT No-Knead Bread (it's in the process of the 12-18 hour rise...) and then followed it up with Madeleines. Hey, we had a lemon to zest, what do you want?

Devil in a Red Dress

We love Zac Posen.

Glee-Q

The latest issue of GQ has a photo spread with three of the stars of Fox's Glee. The magazine, the show and the three actors (Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron and Lea Michele) have caught flak today over the photos and what they may or may not imply.

Linda Holmes's article published on NPR's website makes a good point. The photos are in poor taste, but not necessarily for the same reasons that the Parent's Television Council suggests.

I've seen the pictures and I really only have an issue with how Lea Michele has chosen to have herself portrayed. In the bulk of her photos she has on bikini underwear and little else. I like Lea, but I have to say that from what I've read about her in the press I think she must suffer from low self-esteem. This seems to be a situation where the photographer or GQ said we can do this "sexy" photo shoot and she jumped at it. Well guess what, you are pretty, you are sexy, etc., etc. and you don't have to go around with this lame FHX/Maxim style pictorial to prove that (except maybe to yourself).

Her pictures are tacky.

Her two co-stars are wearing pants (to a degree), for goodness sake! I think had Ms. Michele thrown on even a catholic school girl style skirt there would be less of an issue. Or for that matter, had she done a Jennifer Anniston style tastefully naked-but-not-naked shoot (without the high school overtones) people would have less to say about it. But then again, had she gone that route we probably wouldn't be talking about her.

Dear Andy Cohen,

Would you take a write-in nomination for Jack-hole of the week?

Halloween!

So, we're going to a Halloween party this year and I'm trying to figure out what to wear. While costumes are optional, who doesn't like to dress up every once in a while?

Last year, we threw a kid-friendly Halloween play date party and I made an embellished witch hat for the occasion. Before that, I hadn't had a true Halloween costume since college. Back then, I dressed up as Uma Thurman from Pulp Fiction for multiple years in a row. (I think it is fair to say that I did get good use out of that wig after all).

That leaves us with the question of what to be now. I still have my witch hat, so I could pair that with one of my missoni skirts and be a fashionable witch. I also have Groucho glasses and a Marilyn wig.

In other options, Wal-Mart has a Star Trek costume. They also have tons of others, but the emphasis really seems to be on "adult" costumes. Should browsing the Halloween costume section really seem like you're browsing through a stripper supply shop? I guess I'm just out of touch with Halloween these days ;)

Costume suggestions are appreiciated...

The Plan B

A friend from high school recently christened his boat the Plan B. I'm sure he didn't expect people would think it was named after emergency contraception.

Things You Don't Expect to Hear in the Same Sentence...

Catherine Zeta-Jones, $5,000 and Pier One Imports

Advice

You could probably use to get your house in order, don't you think?

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

is one of my favorites from childhood (that and Watership Down)... I found a first edition today at the Franklin Park book sale. It's a library discard and doesn't have a jacket, but it's still cool.

Observations

Ever drive a 6-speed manual through the urban safari in a mini dress while wearing one four-inch heel and one flip flop? I'll just say it's not easy.

In other news, it is starting to really turn Fall-ish and we seem to quickly be approaching that time of year when you've gone from wearing summer clothes right past fall clothes and now you have to start wearing a coat. Damn.

Next item? Book sales galore. The Franklin Park book sale concludes tomorrow and next weekend is Princeton and South Brunswick. Do I splurge and pay a $10 admission fee to get into the Princeton sale's preview? I probably won't, but I'll think about it.

SnAKs Cafe at Saks on the fifth floor really has good little sandwiches. You should try it.

Brendan Fraser is coming to Broadway in November. Okay, so Broadway is kind of hitting the bottom of the barrel when Encino Man makes his debut, but I like Brendan and might be interested in seeing the show... Do I have any takers? There's also Driving Miss Daisy, A Life in the Theater, Time Stands Still, The Merchant of Venice and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Yes, Pacino is in Merchant. Why haven't I bought my tickets already?

I finally watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, my impression? It's amazing how people in Swedish films look like regular people (i.e. wrinkles and bad skin don't seem to be barriers to entry into the Swedish film industry, unlike in Hollywood) that being said, I liked it. It certainly seemed like they had to cut out a lot/slim down the story... But given how dense the book was its not really a surprise. It is definitely a movie where you should read the book first so you know what's going on. If you have, I think you'd enjoy it. Now, here's to The Girl Who Played with Fire... Hoping it will be out on DVD or iTunes soon!

That's all I have to report.

I lied. Three more things. Saturday we're doing tea at the St. Regis. Miss Leda, we'll have a scone in your honor.

Thrift store score? Tweed Marc Jacobs pants: $7.00

And a question. As between Dolce, Cavalli, DVF and Nicole Miller, Who would you pick?

Gabba-Gate and Ticket Karma

Last week I saw a message from a friend on Facebook that she had three tickets to sell to the upcoming Yo Gabba Gabba Live! Show at Radio City Music Hall. Miss B. likes the show and has some Yo Gabba goodies, so I thought it might be a fun thing to go to, especially since the tickets came with access to the "After Party" (yes, who knew that a children's show would have an "after party"!?!) But I had checked out what the "VIP" party included and you got to mingle with the characters, have your photo taken with them and have snacks/entertainment, etc. so it sounded like a lot of fun.

I commit to buy the tickets. I mail out a check to my friend. My friend e-mails me her e-tickets. All is right in Gabbaland, until... I get a message from my friend saying that the tickets had been cancelled. You see, my friend's sister had bought these tickets as a birthday gift for my friend's daughter earlier in the year. Since purchasing the tickets, my friend's sister scheduled her wedding for the same day as the show. Instead of first trying to sell the tickets, they had approached American Express (who they had purchased the tickets through) to see if they would take them back. Apparently, Amex did agree to finally take them back, but only after they had already been sold to me.

So, Amex then offers to replace the tickets with the same "or better" seats. Okay. Then the Amex rep lets us know that the "VIP Party" is sold out. So, while they could get us tickets to the show, they couldn't get us tickets to the party. They called the party promoter, they called Radio City. No dice. So, I called not only the party promoter but the two companies who were actually putting on the entire production. I also canvased friends for contacts at Nickelodeon (thanks, Thisbe!) Days go by, and while I did get new tickets (in the first row), I heard no word on the status of the party.

Meanwhile, while this was going on, I had noticed that a piece of mail for my nextdoor neighbor had been mistakenly delivered to me. When I first noticed it, I had set it aside, meaning to drop it off at their house, but I had been busy with work and it had gotten shuffled back in with the rest of the mail. On Thursday night, at 2am I'm sorting through junk mail in an effort to clean up the manse before the arrival of my mom and dad and what do I come across? My neighbor's envelope. I noticed that it was from Rutgers and I figured it was just alumni stuff. The envelope was partly opened and out of curiosity I decided to look inside... what was in there? Tickets to the Rutgers/Army Football game on Oct. 16th. I immediately thought: "Oh, Shit! I have to get these tickets back NOW!"

It was ticket karma.

I vaguely remembered that the mis-delivered mail came around about the time I heard from my friend that our tickets had been cancelled.

So, despite it being 2am and raining outside, I got in the car and drove over to the neighbor's house and popped the envelope into their mailbox.

Then, at around 11:30am the next morning I received an email from Donna at Wild Brain Entertainment. She had secured us a place at the VIP Party! (Thank you, Donna!!!)

Of course, since my new tickets were procured through a broker, the entire time up until we were actually inside Radio City I was completely expecting them not to be valid. But, our tickets worked, our VIP passes were at the box office and we were sitting smack dab at center stage, front row.

Unfortunately, we hadn't anticipated that the 73rd Annual Pulaski Day Parade was happening today, so we didn't expect that the Husband would have to spend over an hour and a half just trying to park the car (all the while missing the entirety of the show and most of the after party), but Miss B. had fun, so that's all that matters, right?

Oh, but I also have to mention, that the night before the show I was up till like 4am making a "Muno" hat for Miss B. to wear. It was pretty cool because during the show, we got to have the Muno character give B a hug and then after the show, the person who was inside the Muno costume came up to us at the after party and said they recognized us from earlier and wanted to say how much they loved her hat! (Not to mention, that the official Yo Gabba photographer took B's photo with her hat on) ;)

AngelRox

Thisbe told me about this and it is just totally cool! Have to get me one of those!

Alpha and Omega.

Was so bad and inappropriate for Miss B. That we actually walked out and I got our money refunded.

While this was certainly not as bad as the time that the Dad and I walked out of Q & A, it was pretty bad. The husband summed it up when he said it was a movie about horny wolves... And let's not forget the graphic descriptions of animal violence... I mean I know they're predators and everything but come on.

Ever

give someone the benefit of the doubt for fifteen or so years and then realize you've been wrong?

In other news, I have one random co-worker who continues to surprise me with hidden coolness.

And I also have some really wonderful friends who know how to put things into perspective and make me laugh.

To Buble or not to Buble...

I got a Ticketmaster email about a pre-sale notification for Michael Buble's next concert... it's at MSG in November. Now a few years back he played MSG on my birthday (let's not even get started with how Barbra Streisand had her "farewell" concert on my birthday too...) and that would have been a cool show to go to... but am I motivated enough to see Michael Buble on a random Sunday in November? That is the question.

One of those days...

My t-shirt is on backwards and my total day's sustenance so far has been tater tots.

On the upside, I did get Jenn-Air to confirm that they will pay parts and labor to repair my trash compactor.

Someone Save My Life Tonight....

(okay, so the title of this post is solely a nod to the fact that my iPod has shuffled its way to vintage Elton John... btw, love that random Elton video with Robert Downey, Jr. but I digress....)

So a friend from high school is 3 1/2 weeks away from her due date. She looks great and she's been posting some baby stuff on her blog recently.

One of her last posts was about how she's been doing research on using cloth diapers.

Yes. Cloth Diapers.

Hey, you know, more power to you for all of you green-planet, hybrid driving, hippie gypsy folks out there, but what I found most funny about my friend's post was that she made a statement to the effect that she thinks she's got enough of a starter stash of cloth diapers so that she can accomodate doing laundry every 2-3 days and is allowing for 10-12 diaper changes per day.

I had to laugh at the idea of anyone with a baby, let alone anyone with a baby using cloth diapers only doing laundry every 2-3 days. I don't know about you, but with my fam I'm usually doing 2-3 loads of laundry PER DAY, and hell we've only got three people!

All I can say to my soon-to-be cloth diaper using friend? Godspeed and peace be with you. (Oh and ps. invest in that covered bucket with bleach solution from now).

(Oh, one more thing-- one reason why I'm stuck doing so much laundry is because my goofy Whirpool Duets take at least 90 minutes per dryer cycle to dry anything. Hence, I'm doing multiple smaller loads, but at the end of the day I still have a phenomenal amount of stuff to wash. Little people will do that to you.)

Quilt-tastic...

Check out these quilts that I've made recently...

This one was made with Kaffe Fassett fabric...

This quilt has been made for a friend's new baby with various fabrics including some from the "In the Beginning" line of fabrics.

It's 1:55am

and I'm watching a Duran Duran concert from 2004. Why? I saw these guys live in 1993 and we were all much younger and spryer then.

(And even then, they were past their prime, but still entertaining).

The Latest Fashion Trends?

There's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

Steel Magnolias...

If you can't think of anything nice to say, come sit by me.

How to Really Take the Wind Out of the Sails of an Apology...

Received this evening from a former colleague who, together with another former colleague, decided to go Medieval on me over the phone this evening in connection with a transaction I'm working on:

"I want to apologize again for your misperception that the volume control on my voice indicated yelling"

Spoken like a true lawyer.

By the way, I can't help but mention how at one point during the call the woman associate involved started screaming something to the effect of "DON'T EVEN GO THERE!" (Hello, are we going to start snapping our fingers next and saying "Oh No you Din't!?!" What is this an episode of the Real Housewives franchise?)

Yankees and Hooters

I've lately been doing some genealogical research with the help of Ancestry.com. So far, I've been impressed with their resources and excited about most of my findings. Certainly the upside to this search has been finding two Civil War veterans in my background (including one relative who fought at Gettysburg), the downside? Finding out that my cousin's 23 year old daughter is some sort of former Hooters girl bikini model who's life aspiration is to "live off her looks" and her self-description is "natural 34D and 'baby's got back". Let's not even discuss how her "thing she'd want to bring on a deserted isle" is Steve-O from MTV's Jackass.

It's times like this when I really value raising my daughter to be a sci-fi geek.

More from the "Things We Love" Category.

Dennis Quaid. Sure he's kind of aging into a bit of "WC Fields" but I'm watching
The Right Stuff. We love Dennis Quaid, the younger years. Texas Jack, back me up on this.

Other things we love? Ritz Crackers. Preferably with tuna.

Pulp Fiction.

The new Bluefly Commercial featuring Bethenny Frankel.

That Martin Short is the voice of The Cat in the Hat on the new series The Cat and the Hat Knows a Lot About That on PBS.

Just Cavalli.

Personality Goes a Long Way.

I love

Opera. That's all I have to say.

(Okay, one more thing: I'm listening to the Barber of Seville and its just fun.)

What's On?

Well, after Mad Men I had my choice of, among other things, The Time Traveler's Wife or Inglorious Bastards. Now, I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife. It's a good sob fest, even if you know what's coming. But, even though Inglorious Bastards is not Quentin's best work, I always have to go for Tarantino.

One more thing....

Mom, I'm very disappointed in you.

We watched "The Killers" the other night and it turns out all of the scenes in the US were filmed in Georgia... And not just anywhere in Georgia but Atlanta, Douglasville and WOODSTOCK!!! Now how is it that you didn't manage to find Tom Selleck when he was in town???

Kick-Ass

Loved it, especially Hit Girl. ;)

One other item of note...

I was so proud the other day when, as we were flipping through the channels and came upon "Return of the Jedi" on Spike TV, Miss B. said: "Oooohh! Star Wars!!!"

Bergdorf's

One of my work colleagues recently noted that the latest Bergdorf's catalogue contends that: "All a woman needs is good teeth, eyes and hair -- everything else can be faked."

Score!

Today we went to Woodbury Commons. (And apparently, so did much of the rest of the population of the Northeast). There was a traffic back up all the way from Exit 16 (where the mall is) to the Thru-way Service Plaza prior to the exit (which I believe is a distance of nearly 13 miles). We finally made it to the toll plaza to get to the outlet mall and traffic was at a standstill, so we had to go to the next exit, turn around and try to get to the mall from the opposite direction.

Overall, it ended up taking us like three hours to get there from home. Ugh! But, at least once we got there they had good things... but I do have to say it was a bit insane that there were queues (like at an amusement park!) to get in to Gucci, Tory Burch and Coach. The joint was open until 9pm and even at 8:50 there was still a significant line outside of Gucci... as if it were a nightclub or something. I felt like telling all of those people that there's a Gucci outlet in Secaucus, where I can certainly say I have NEVER seen a line of any description.

At the end of the visit we had purchased a suit, two dresses, an outfit for B, two pairs of boots, a sports coat and countless amounts of awful outlet mall food including a hot dog, carvel and Starbucks products (that actually took a half an hour to procure). So much for that recession. I'd hate to see that place on the day after Thanksgiving!

FYI

To the woman at Starbucks who attempted to put her hand inside my dog carrier before actually acknowledging that said dog carrier was attached to my shoulder... I'm not carrying around a four and a half pound dog as an ice breaker. I'm not looking to meet new people. I'm carrying the dog because she doesn't like to be left alone.

I, on the other hand, am perfectly happy to be left alone, especially by strange women with European accents at coffee shops.

I guess this is what happens when a cat person becomes a dog owner.

I know I've said this before

(Ana, you can confirm that). But I am finally going to start writing that book. Somebody call Oprah's Book Club before she goes off the air, I could really use the advance. ;)

The Devil and the White City

I just finished reading this the other day (thanks to the Mom for giving me her copy)... so, Chicago's big plan to "out-Eiffel" the Eiffel Tower was the invention of the FERRIS WHEEL?? Really? This is the best the US could muster? A carnival attraction?

Otherwise the book was okay, but I did find the story telling between the tale of HH Holmes and the planners/architects of the World's Fair to be a bit disjointed.

Hmpf. Next on our list? Well, I was planning on trying to re-read Eat, Pray, Love (loved the movie, by the way)... but I also have The Monster of Florence and One Day. We'll see what comes first.

Hmpf.

Isn't it annoying when people only contact you when they want/need something?

Have you ever had one of those days?

Perhaps, one of those days that starts out with you getting up at 4:30 am and loading yourself, your toddler and your labradoodle puppy into your car for a drive to Virginia?

Then, about 24 minutes into that drive, when you find yourself on I-295 somewhere between Trenton and Burlington, New Jersey, through a construction zone, said labradoodle decides its a good time to fully empty out his intesines and bladder?

So, you next find yourself pulled over in the parking lot of a Dunkin Donuts, in the dark, without a leash for the dog trying to clean out a crate (and the only cleaning products you can locate besides paper towel are (a) wheel and tire cleaner and (b) leather cleaner.)

A few minutes later you may find yourself trying to end a conversation with a trucker who happened to also stop at the DD and now wants to know what kind of dog you have.

Then, you'll get back in the car and start over.

Until you're in the middle of Maryland and you realize (x) you have not packed shoes for your child and (y) that said labradoodle has decided now would be the perfect time to get car sick, twice.

Thank god for the 3G network and Wal-Mart is all I have to say. Yup, next I found myself and Miss B. hitting up the aisles of the Towson Wal-Mart (which just happened to be having some work done on its sewer system so the whole exterior of the place was as similarly stinky as the dog carrier...)

As an aside... you know you're purchasing your pet care products at Wal-Mart when the puppy pads you buy have a picture of a NASCAR car and driver on them.

Back in the car, everybody... (Sorry, by the way, Towson Wal-Mart employees, for the green fleece blanket that was left in your parking lot.)

One last stop? Of course, before we get to the "Farm" we had to pull over on the side of Route 340 for yet another bathroom break. (Standing, on the side of the road while 18-wheelers blow past at 65)...

Then we visited the farm and made an exchange. Pound for pound this "breeder" (aka Dr. Moreau) is making a mint.

On the way back? Well, nothing can be easy, can it? Of course not. See prior post re: arch nemesis. Arch Nemesis (aka "Suuuuu-san") scheduled a conference call which I had to be on for 12pm. At 11:54 I was approaching a Chick-Fil-A in West Virginia with the hopes that I would be able to distract Miss B. long enough with french fries and chicken while I was talking title and survey.

Did this work? Sort of. For much of the call I had to stand outside the drivers side door of my car with a cell phone in one hand balancing a laptop in the other. (Oh, and did I mention that we drove past a car fire just before approaching the CFA?)

Conference call done, lunch eaten... then on the road back to Jersey.

We briefly stopped in to Harper's Ferry, but can you believe on a random Thursday afternoon there was no parking? (FYI: National Parks Service I want my Six Dollars back).

We also hit up an LLBean in Marlton, NJ and managed to crash "Customer Appreiciation Night" and got free food, drinks and a 15% discount. That was a pleasant surprise, but I don't know that it made up for much of what had come before. ;)

Arch Nemesis...

is at work again.

All I'm saying is that she scheduled a conference call for tomorrow at 12pm. This is beyond, beyond, beyond inconvenient.

Yes, I'm going to be remote telecommuting via blackberry phone with laptop accompanied by my two assistants, one toddler, one canine.

Get Your Algorithms Straight, Buddy

Okay, so it's time for another Facebook related complaint. Do you ever notice how on your sidebar on Facebook there are these cutesy little suggestions for you? (Such as: "You haven't spoken to [____________] in a while, why not check in?").

Well tonight's not so useful suggestion said:

"Should this be your profile picture?"

Unfortunately, the photo it suggested was a somewhat unflattering photo of someone's girlfriend. Noting, that said girlfriend is decidedly not me. Yeah, I think I'll pass on making that photo my profile pic, thank you very much.

This one's for Leda.

Project Runway

The Philip Treacy episode is really cool!!!! Love all those wacky hats!

Zac Posen...

Hmpf. I don't know how I feel about this. Lynda from the RH of DC is wearing a Zac Posen for Target dress, that I also own. I bet she didn't get hers for $17.48 though!!!

Why we love iTunes...

It's been 24 years since Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released. (what!?!? How did THAT happen? See previous post re: turning thirtysomethingunmentionable...) Anyway, it's been 24 years of me loving the music but there being no soundtrack released.

Well, thanks to imdb and iTunes I've managed to recreate most of the music. Sadly, The Dream Academy's version of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" isn't available, but while searching for it I did come across the Vitamin String Quartet. I have to say I love their string versions of pop songs! Who knew, "Bizzare Love Triangle" works with strings!

Other random purchases? Florence and the Machine, Michael Crawford/Barbra Streisand and Big Audio Dynamite.

One other thing-- why on earth didn't I have "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" on my iPod? I guess I downloaded my Police cd back when I had my original iPod and was actually concerned about memory space?? Unclear.

I'll Never Fall In Love Again...

Over the weekend I had a fantastic girls' day out with Thisbe. This was our birthday treat to ourselves as we're both turning a thirty-something number this year that we will leave unsaid.

Thisbe hit up the TKTS booth in Times Square and scored us great tickets to Promises, Promises! Tickets in hand, with plenty of time before the curtain, we went to The Park for brunch. Afterwards we walked around a bit in Chelsea.

At 3pm we headed to the Broadway Theater and had a great time! The show was really entertaining and everybody in the cast did a great job. So much singing, so much dancing! (And who knew Tony Goldwyn could sing???)
Afterwards we ran out to the stage door and Thisbe worked her usual magic and we got autographs from Kristin Chenoweth, Sean Hayes and Tony! (And, kudos to Thisbe for remembering that Tony Goldwyn was the bad guy from Ghost...) While waiting outside the stage door we also saw Eddie Redmayne, who has just finished a run on Broadway in Red with Alfred Molina and can be seen currently in "The Pillars of the Earth" on Starz!

After our stage door antics were through we retired to Ava Lounge atop the Dream Hotel. Yummy drinks and food from Serafina topped off our day. We toasted to thirty-something more exciting years and figure we'll do it all again when we turn 70 (and hopefully, we'll do it again before then too, but the point is, years from now if you see two little old ladies stalking Broadway performers and then getting tipsy on a roof deck, you'll know they're us).

It's 2:59am

and I'm hungry!

Worlds Colliding

Why is it that every television show I'm interested in watching is on Tonight???

Project Runway (on the same time as: Real Housewives of DC), then Bethenny Getting Married (which is on the same time as Jersey Shore)... thank god for replays. Though I do have to make the commitment to a four hour block of television viewing!

Who knew...?

So I thought this was an interesting testament to the randomness of Facebook and the allure of Six Degrees of Separation...

A friend of mine in college graduated two years ahead of me but had a sister who was in the same graduating class as me. We're Facebook friends. A few years back I saw in the Times Wedding section that the sister had married a Cushman (I think it was a Cushman, and not a Wakefield, but you get the idea). So I'm looking on Facebook and I saw an update from my friend and then clicked on his sister's page.

Randomly enough, she happens to be friends with a former client of mine (who I represented when she was selling her New York apartment before marrying into the Goodyear clan.)

A further random friendship? Joshua Bell. (As in, the violinist).

I'm always amazed when people you know, know other people you know but in a completely unconnected way. And then its always interesting when someone is friends with someone vaguely well known.

Wish List

So, for all I know the movie could be dreadful when it is released, but I already love the soundtrack to "Eat, Pray, Love". Eddie Vedder, Joao Gilberto, Marvin Gaye, et. al. It's perfectly relaxing and hip with a few fun punches. I'll take one, please!

Inception...

So we went to see Inception last night.

Unfortunately, the folks at the United Artists Theater at Market Fair didn't really seem to think that for the $35 I spent on tickets, air conditioning was necessary.

Nothing is worse than stadium seating with zero air circulation and high humidity.

FYI, if the last movie starts at 10:20pm, you should keep the air on until it's over!

Okay, that's enough about the theater... how about the movie?

I have to say, Hot Tub Time Machine was more entertaining.

I love Leonardo DiCaprio, and the other actors did well. The effects were good-- but the movie was overly long. There were no real twists to the plot-- it was basically a straight forward bit of story telling. It was kind of boring, after a while.

But. The previews! I'm very interested now in seeing The Social Network. And, I really like the song they use in the trailer-- it is "Creep" by Radiohead as sung by Scala and Kolacny Brothers a Belgian choir that covers pop music. Pretty cool.

Chris Isaak!

Yes, it's that time of year again-- Chris Isaak is on tour and he's made his way to the Big Apple!

This year, the concert was at the Nokia Theater in Times Square. It's a cool venue-- kind of like a theater with a night club atmosphere.

I had ordered our tickets back in April and really didn't have a good idea of where exactly our seats were... and then we got there and we were smack dab in the middle of the seventh row! I've seen Chris Isaak four times and these were the best seats I've ever had!

Thus, thanks to the Mom for letting me borrow her little camera-- I was able to get some great photos. (Let's not discuss how I also used the "voice recorder" function on my iPod to "pirate" Wicked Game. Who knew an iPod Touch was such a versatile little gizmo?

One of the cool things, too about the Nokia Theater is that in addition to the bar areas, they also have a cafe. I got a great little Red Velvet cupcake-- a nice way to start the show. Also, this year Marc Broussard opened for Chris. While some of Marc Broussard's music sounded familiar, I really have no recollection of having heard of him before-- but it was a pleasant surprise. He had a great voice and some terrific guys in his band. Over all he put on a great opening act.

As for Chris Isaak and Silvertone-- they always do a great job. Just a fun, entertaining show.

If you like his music and want to get a sense of what the live performances are like you can check out his latest cd: Live at the Fillmore. It has mostly the same song set as what we heard at our concert-- and it's all great music!

At the end of the show the guys in the band all toss their guitar picks into the audience. I didn't score one myself, but while we were walking out a man gave me one that he had gotten... so that was pretty cool! On the downside, as we were leaving the theater the escalator we were on broke down. This wouldn't have been a big deal had it only stopped, but instead it actually started going backwards-- which was a little wacky. It seemed to pick up more and more speed as we got closer to the bottom and the Husband and I had to literally jump off of the escalator so that we didn't just hit the bottom. It's things like that which keep life interesting.

Anyhoo. Afterwards we went and had a late dinner at a great place in the Stay Hotel called Aspen Social. The Husband got tuna tartare deviled eggs with wasabi (!) Overall it was really tasty and a nifty atmosphere as well. I highly recommend it!

Random Update

I come from a heritage of people who put things "in a safe place" to make it easier to find later and then promptly forget where said "safe place" is. Case in point-- I have been looking for my "Very Best of Sheryl Crow" cd for four years.

Yes, four years. Now I swear that during this time I have found the empty case in random locations, but never the disc. This would all be fine (thanks to iTunes) but for the fact that I had been wanting to import to my iPod the song "Picture" and since it is a duet with Kid Rock (and he apparently has some issue with Apple) its unavailable. I was determined not to buy another copy of the cd and then the other night I looked through my cd stockpile and there was the case and the disc sitting nice as could be. Like it had just gotten back from some prolonged vacation (possibly with Jimmy Buffet and all of the Songs You Know by Heart).

Finally, the song is imported.

Latest other musical acquisition? A pop-y thing called "This is How it Ends" courtesy of the on-hold muzak at the Saks 800 line.

Hmpf.

I used to love Mel Gibson. Hell, I even convinced the Mom to drive all the way to Maine as part of our "East Coast College Tour" so I could sneak on to the set of one of his movies.

Have you heard those tapes that his latest gal pal recorded?

The poor bugger has really lost his mind.

One just hopes that his ex wife is enjoying her share of that divorce settlement. From the sounds of it, I think she deserves it!

Have You Seen...

New York State's new license plates?

I just have two words for you: "Blind Governor".

Ugh.

(photo courtesy of NY1.com)

Happy Fourth!

This year we hit up the fireworks display in Princeton (hosted by the "Spirit of Princeton" organization) on Thursday, July 1st.

We had a nice Whole Foods picnic and enjoyed a great show.

Then for the actual Fourth of July we went to DC!
We stayed at the Willard Intercontinental on Pennsylvania Ave.

Very close to the White House... and very near the Mall!

We got to visit the Museum of American History, and see Julia Child's kitchen...

And, just as we were about to get in the elevator at our hotel to go downstairs to see the fireworks, we got invited by the concierge into the "VIP Viewing Area" for the fireworks! It turns out that one of the suites wasn't occupied and guests of the hotel were invited to watch the fireworks in air conditioned comfort! (This was a very nice thing, since when we went downstairs after the Fireworks to get some snacks, it was like Fort Apache The Bronx outside-- people were setting off Roman Candles, people were throwing water balloons from 10 stories up, and there were no police to be seen!) ;)

Check This Out!

Tomorrow Miss B. will start ballet classes. So, with that in mind, I had found a neat fat quarter with ballerinas on it... thus, I decided to make her a little bag for her "toe shoes":

I also made this little laptop case...

Why novelist Howard Engel couldn’t read, but could write: newyorker.com

Why novelist Howard Engel couldn’t read, but could write: newyorker.com

40 Unhealthiest Burgers

The Daily Beast rated the top forty unhealthiest cheeseburgers. Interestingly, no McDonald's burger made the cut. Thus reaffirming the fact that McDonald's burgers aren't actually meat.

Harry Potter vs. FIOS

We're watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in HD. Then, all of a sudden the channel freezes. What does our set-top box tell us? That it will check to see whether there may be any sports blackouts in our area which are affecting our viewing.

Really?

And how much do I pay for this per month?

Martha's Vineyard Guide for 2010!

So we just got back from a week in Martha's Vineyard. Below is a list of the places we enjoyed and would recommend for your next visit.


Food:





The Bite in Menemsha is a terrific little fish shack, with amazingly fresh seafood. It has wonderful Quahog chowder, fried shrimp, fish sandwiches and all other great stuff. Blink and you'll miss it on Basin Road, but it's worth the trip out to Menemsha. It's open 11-3pm (or thereabouts) daily (in season). 29 Basin Road, Chilmark, MA 02535

If you're in Katama/South Beach or in Edgartown and looking for great sandwiches and a terrific gourmet deli, look no further than the Katama General Store... (you can follow them here on Twitter). We drove past the General Store every day during our trip and didn't go in until the second to last day and boy we didn't know what we were missing! We stopped in here on the Husband's suggestion to pick up sandwiches to take on the Mad Max sailing adventure (see below) and they were fantastic! They had ham and cheese, Italian subs, chicken salad, roast beef and then great side salads-- dill potato salad, curried chicken salad, olives and all sort of great sides. Let's not even discuss the amazing peanut butter pie. 170 Katama Road, Edgartown, MA 02539-8719

If you're in Edgartown and looking for a terrific brunch? Check out Among the Flowers Cafe. Thisbe recommended it and she was more than right! We went back three times for waffles and omelets. It's a tiny little place right near the harbor area and is well worth the trip! (Let's also note that this was where we had our one "Hollywood of the East" sighting)... 17 Mayhew Lane, Edgartown, Ma 02539



Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Cafe and Bakery (aka Back Door Donuts): Looking for a late night snack? Look no further than Back Door Donuts at the Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Cafe and Bakery in Oak Bluffs. Open nightly from 9pm-1am they serve amazing donuts, apple fritters, filled croissants and other baked loveliness. I must also recommend hitting up the bakery during regular business hours for amazing egg, ham and cheese croissants and mini key lime pies. 5 Post Office Square, Oak Bluffs, MA

Il Tesoro at the Terrace: Il Tesoro at the Terrace (located inside the Charlotte Inn in Edgartown) is amazing. It was a wonderful world class dining experience if you are looking for a more formal dinner atmosphere. The Husband had osso bucco, I had an amazing risotto pescatore. The service was wonderful, the atmosphere terrific. I can't say enough good things-- it was a very European dining experience! (Here's a review). 27 South Summer Street, Edgartown, MA 02539

Murdick's Fudge: What trip to the beach is complete without fudge? Murdick's has fudgemaking daily right in the middle of the store. I scored some chocolate fudge and some butter pecan fudge for the mom. They have locations in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. 21 North Water Street, Edgartown, MA 02539

Beetlebung Coffee House: Beetlebung is a dry goods store (with locations in Edgartown, Menemsha and Vineyard Haven) and it's also a coffee shop (located in Vineyard Haven). They have great sandwiches, coffee, Arnold Palmers and other baked goodies. If you're in Vineyard Haven and looking for a light lunch you should definitely check out the coffee house. I had an amazing Beetlebung-style Cabot Cheddar Egg McMuffin and the Mom and Dad got great sandwiches.

32 Beach St, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Chilmark General Store: Pizza. One word. It was good. Good cookies, too. 7 State Road, Chilmark, MA 02535


Shopping:

Vintage Jewelry: Vintage Jewelry has a location in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. They have a wonderful selection of both old and new jewelry including Troll Beads. I picked up a really neat vintage flower brooch from the 1950's and then the Husband got me a lovely Troll Bead bracelet. 53 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539-8233

Citrine: Citrine has recently moved to Vineyard Haven. Citrine stocks clothing and beads for jewelry making. I found a beautiful dress-- really unique looking (and perfect for dinner at Il Tesoro), a great pair of pants, a scarf and a neat little cape. I really hit the jackpot at Citrine. They have unusual, beautiful pieces. 9 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Henley's Needlepoint: Henley's is located in Edgartown. This is one of the nicest needlepoint shops that I have ever visited. Ms. Henley has stocked the shop with wonderful hand painted canvases and she has a great selection of Martha's Vineyard specific projects which are perfect mementos to work on once you get home! 44 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539

Love MV (aka I Heart MV) T-Shirts: Located in the Nashua House Hotel in Oak Bluffs, this tiny shop stocks really cute T-Shirts with a great MV logo. The owner and his sister were manning the store during my visit and they were super friendly. Kid's shirts are American Apparel and they also use Hanes Beefy-Ts. 9 Healey Way, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557

Midnight Farm: Midnight Farm is Carly Simon's home and clothing store in Vineyard Haven. It reminded me a lot of an Anthropologie type concept, but with a large selection of higher-end items. It was a great shop to just browse in-- wonderful home decorating ideas and beautiful clothing. 18 Water Cromwell Ln, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Boys and Girls Club Second Hand Store: At 10 N Summer Street in Edgartown you'll find the Boys and Girls Club of Martha's Vineyard's thrift shop. I love a good thrift shop and this one doesn't disappoint. I scored a few pieces of milk glass for the Mom and a vintage French advertising poster for me (it's from the early 1900's!). The best part? They're willing to bargain! 10 North Summer Street, Edgartown, MA 02539


I also recommend: Portobello Road, in Edgartown (kids stuff, home decor, books-- terrific store), Menemsha Blues (clothing), Island Outfitters and of course, Vineyard Vines and The Black Dog.

One other tip? If you like all of the nifty sea-themed door knockers that adorn the doors of Edgartown? Visit the local hardware store on Main Street in Edgartown-- they've got quite a good selection, reasonably priced!


Adventures:



Mad Max Sailing Adventures: Located near the Seafood Shanty in the Edgartown Harbor the Mad Max is a 60-foot catamaran sail boat which departs twice daily on two hour harbor cruises. We took a 6pm evening sunset cruise and had a wonderful time. It is BYOB/BYOF so you can bring a picnic to enjoy. (I recommend picking up goodies at the Katama General Store!) At $60 pp/$55pp (cash discount) it was reasonable and a really nice way to enjoy an evening sunset. 25 Dock Street, Edgartown, MA 02539




Cutler Bike Rental: Cutler Bikes is located in Edgartown and they deliver! We rented two bikes for the week (together with a little tow-behind rickshaw thingie for Miss B.) and it was $85 per bike for the week. The bikes were well maintained and a great way to get around. It was 3.1 miles from our house to Edgartown and one morning we biked in for breakfast. Biking is a nice way to see the island and there are plenty of bike trails. 1 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539



Trustees of the Reservation: The Trustees of the Reservation maintain the various wildlife refuges and other state lands throughout MV. During our trip we made arrangements to be taken on a guided kayak trip within the Cape Poge wildlife reserve on Chappaquiddick Island. Mike, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the area and the birds, fish and other wildlife which we got to observe during our trip. The kayak trip was 2 1/2 hours and was a lot of fun.







Randi Baird Photography: Also during our visit we decided to have a family photo session at the Edgartown lighthouse. Randi Baird was recommended and she and her assistant were very personable and we had a really lovely time. We're looking forward to seeing our proofs! If you're in town and want to have some professional portraits, I would recommend contacting Randi.

MV 2010

So we went to Martha's Vineyard for a week. More photos and stories to follow...

Random Thoughts...

We just finished watching "The Road". Okay, totally depressing. But I have to say, much better than 2012. That being said, we are now watching Casino Royale. Obviously, much better than both The Road and 2012, despite the fact that its on USA, with commercials. (Ugh).

Next? Next is an observation: Why is it that in order to purchase all of the various food items I need for the fam for a week I have to visit at least two (but usually three) different grocery stores? I can understand why I might need to go to both Wegmans and Whole Foods (since generally, Whole Foods has fresher meats/produce and they don't carry normal things like soda and oreos.... though they do have "Newman-O's"). But really, should I also have to throw in Shop-Rite or Stop n'Shop (or Target) into the mix? Why is it that Wegman's can't seem to carry Yellow Rice??? Or Newman's Own Lemonade/Iced Tea? Let's not even get started on the Newman's Own frozen pizzas. Those only seem to be at Target and Stop n'Shop. Stop n'Shop and Shop Rite are also home to the Stella D'Oro 100 calorie pack chocolate "S" cookies that are favorites of the Husband and Baby. Then there's Rye Bread by "The Baker". Again-- only Stop n'Shop... oddly, Whole Foods carries other breads by "The Baker", but not Rye bread. Aqua Panna in plastic bottles? Stop n'Shop. Unfortunately, Stop n'Shop (while convienently located near our house) is generally a scary shopping experience with 9 items out of 10 being close to or actually expired. Not to mention that it has weird hours and the people who work there love to close off one of the entrances well before closing time which is annoying since that's the door right next to the "self-check out". One other observation-- when I'm doing self-check out, I'd really appreiciate it if the folks who work at the store would refrain from bagging my groceries. If I'd wanted assistance bagging, I'd have gone through a manned-check out lane. I chose to self-check out because I don't want anyone else touching my stuff!

Otherwise not much else is going on.

I have started reading "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest".... so far so good. Thoughts?

Oh, one last thing. Got to love the local dry cleaner. I brought in a suede Banana Republic Skirt (which I recently got for $5.29.... same place as the vintage Missoni) and asked how much it would be to have it cleaned. (It doesn't actually need a cleaning based on looks, but I always have "vintage" stuff dry cleaned.... yeah. $45.00 (?) $45.00??? That's 9 times what I paid. So needless to say I'll be looking for some other dry cleaning options!

$5.29

is what I paid today for a vintage Missoni top.

Score!

Pictures to follow...

Check out all that extra room!

Yup, I pretty much think I could park that car anywhere...

Samurai!

Here's a picture of the wacky samurai figures I scored at the Rummage Sale!

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest....

is out on May 25th!!!!!

By the way, is it just me or is Mikael Blomkvist TOTALLY Stellan Skarsgaard???

It's that Time Again....

for the twice yearly VNA Rummage Sale! You might recall that we visited the sale in the Fall when the Mom and Dad were in town and we made a delightful score at bag and box day. Well, this year I went on Friday with Miss B. (it was a full price day) and got a bunch of neat fabrics from the Dry Goods tent, a wacky oil painting, a J. McLaughlin silk jersey button down (the style is the same as shown in the link but the pattern is different), a bunch of books including a first edition of Toni Morrison's Beloved, a really cool print of a detail of a Greek Vase from the Met for the Husband and a bunch of other goodies.

Today, for Mother's Day, the Husband and baby took me back to the sale for the infamous "bag and box" extravaganza!

I started off strong by sprinting to the "Bon-Ton" tent where I had spied some really cool Samurai looking porcelain figures on Friday. They were originally $18 each and I wasn't up for paying that kind of cash for them, so I wanted to see if they were still around. Sadly, the small portraits of George and Martha Washington ($28) and the Longhorn Skull ($150) were already taken.... but my samurai were there! Unfortunately, though, there was a limit of 19 shoppers in the Bon-Ton barn at any one time and there was an elderly woman seated at the door acting as a "bouncer" and she was taking her job very seriously. Thus, I had to wait in line. However, it mostly went quick and once inside I not only got my guys but I also got a Westmoreland piece of milk glass for the Mom. I saw the same piece on Ebay for $79.95... I paid $9!

Then it was on to the "Dry Goods" tent. (This is my favorite haunt... for $10 you can pack a grocery bag full of goodies-- whatever you can stuff!) I got tons and tons of wacky fabric remnants, craft projects, hook rug canvases and my favorite find of all-- a partially completed needlepoint of The Blue Boy! (The Blue Boy has sentimental significance from back when the Mom was a decorator...) I am probably one of the few people on the planet who love half-completed needlepoints... but that's part of my charm.

Finally, I also got a nifty hat for Miss B. (she does, after all, love her hats) and three books! (Two John Grisham first editions and a book about some kind of zen meditation for knitters...)

Afterwards, we also hit up the Trenton Kennel Club Dog Show. It was pretty windy out. The Husband was rather disappointed (as was I) that by the time we got there the folks with the Italian Sausage and Pepper concession were packing it in for the day. But we did get to see a good number of dogs and Miss B. petted some very adorable English Springer Spaniel puppies. Very exciting!