Summer vacation

Hi blog-friends! I have really been missing you all. My vacation has been great, I've been doing lots of summery things like swimming, eating berries, drinking beer and soaking up the sun. However, I have missed blogging something fierce in the past few days. It really helps me expend some excess energy, thought and creativity. The blogcation did the trick though, I'm filled with inspiration from tip to top and ready to dive in head-first within the next few days. Hope all is well with everyone, and I appreciated your sticking by me when I needed some time off from posting. That has really meant a lot to me.

Blogcation

After a pretty severe meltdown this morning and weeks of feeling negatively towards this blog, I'm taking a vacation. Don't worry, I'll be back and way re-energized. A week or two of spending time with other interests and away from the Internetz will be my cure.

Postcards, sonnets and the kinds of notes you passed on little pieces of paper in high school can be directed to my email.

blogcation/work outfit: vintage dress, saltwater sandals, H&M sweater, Cooperative bag

PS-If anyone has ANY idea why when I rearranged a few things (which may not even have anything to do with the problem and I have spent hour experimenting and doesn't seem to be any issue) my photos from flickr have broken links and aren't showing up here I'd love some input.

Anniversary lunch at Kittichai

It was the one year anniversary at my job on July 12th, so today my supervisor and I went to lunch to celebrate. After graduating college it took me a long time to find a job, and it was a very depressing time for me. The one year mark was very significant because of all the opportunities I've had there and wouldn't have had otherwise. Since Restaurant Week is still going on we went to Kittichai on Thompson St. in SoHo. Outside surrounded by bamboo, in the perfectly cool, breezy weather that's come through I almost forgot that it was the middle of the workday in Manhattan.The Thai food has influences from other cultures, but the orchids hanging inside distinctly reminded me of the flower market in Bangkok. Grilled salmon in a honey-soy glaze with Thai pineapple salsaFlourless Valrhona chocolate cake with cream and a purple orchid

Hey, there goes Cinderella

Well, its a few days late but here is Monday's outfit. I spent the day thinking about how I would write a cheesy post about my new blue suede shoes but on the way home from dinner at Le Cirque someone had another idea. In a subway path under Times Square man yelled to his friends, "There goes Cinderella! Look at her in her glass slippers." Blue suede; glass? The same I guess. I've really never been one to get thoughtful about a catcall from a creeper in the subway, but I have to admit I sort of saw his point. The Rogers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella movie with the brunette Lesley Ann Warren in the title role popped into my head immediately. Its not all platinum blonde cinder-girls you know. So though I hate being yelled at by strangers, this was kind of a compliment (probably not--just go with it) here is my Cinderella work outfit from Monday.

PS-Things have gotten a little slow around here because I'm brainstorming about the blog and the direction I want to take it in and the design and whatnot. Please tell me what you think, what you like, don't like. Be honest. Thanks!

Anthropologie dress (they have the BEST sales ever), UO/Kimchi Blue Sandals, Leather bag from Nogales Mexico, vintage bumblebee pin and locket, 80,000 bug bites c/o my backyard

Fancy dinners

NYC Restaurant week is the greatest thing known to entry-level workers since getting hired. Upscale restaurants set up a fixed price menu of some of their specialties and invite everyone to come and sample their food at a reasonable price (by NYC standards). Last night my friend Sophie and I had a reservation at La Cirque on 58th and Lexington, and its entrance is inside of a huge courtyard surrounded by windows. I had asparagus vinaigrette, salmon steamed in cabbage with tiny mushrooms, and a plum tart. My favorite part by far were the little monkeys on the plates; totally unexpected in such a fancy restaurant.
These are the first pictures I'm posting from my new phone (HTC Incredible 2). I edited them a bit in Picnik (the frame, a little graininess). I felt that the pictures were not very clear, so I embraced the noise in the photos and just added a bit more for ambiance. Tell me what you think!

Moody florals, summer whites

I'm going shopping today, but first a little inspiration.

Klover, Elinkan; moody florals + tights (wool hats included)

The Sartorialist, Hello, It's Valentine; classics

Danny Rose 1, 2; anti-pastelAnna Sui, Two Eyes in the Mirror; summer whites

Weekend dreamin'

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Only a few hours more. Isn't it a horrible habit to count the hours and minutes until you can leave work and have two glorious days to yourself? Since the last few weekends have been spent either traveling or celebrating Independence day, this weekend I'm looking forward to doing 3 things:
1.Sleeping in wrapped up in my new summer quilt (serious snoozing for me is about 8am)
2.Eating a crazy delicious breakfast two days in a row.
3.Reading my copy of Lula magazine that has sat neglected on my coffee table for two weeks now.
I took these pictures last weekend but don't let the calm of the photos fool you. I meant to eat that breakfast and read Lula, but I had to eat it fast and dash off to the beach. Forget sleeping, there was too much to do!

You stand at the edge while people run you through...

I've had a very bad day, for no reason or perhaps every reason. Not everything can be beautiful, but I'm thankful for all the people in my life that remind me its there even if I can't see it.
Anyway, here is how I looked for work. Simple. This is an outfit I re-wear pretty regularly so I've never thought to take a picture of it until today.

DIY cropped tee, GAP skirt, Kork Ease sandals, handmade necklace from Ida, H&M hairclip

Moth wings and magic stones

Gauzy, airy white dress like this one remind me of the thin delicate wings of a moth floating around a porch light. There's also my moonstone earrings from Free People that have a magical rainbow glow inside of them.
The outfit overall reminds me of Flora Greysteel from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. The empire waist reminisce of the 19th century, the beaded bracelet is from Venice, Italy. Flora was an independent, adventurous woman and my denim shirt might be something she would throw on to venture out into a violent storm to meet Mr. Strange if he were surrounded in darkness.
Today there was magic in my closet and on my mind.

Zara dress, Uniqlo denim shirt, Saltwater sandals, glass beads from Venice, Free People earrings

Sparkler

Fourth of July celebratory fireworks started one night early at Rich's friends barbecue. Hands down one of my favorite aspects of this holiday is the fireworks, sparklers, bottle rockets, you name it. Watching the colors and the burning light shoot up into the night sky is magical. There used to be a big fancy professionally done show done every year at Jones Beach State Park, but since they cut funding everyone just relies on each other to supply the entertainment. I think this is way better. Here are some of the pictures I took until I realized how handy my tripod would have been. Ah well, all in the moment.

Saturday smokin'

Smoked meats that is! On Saturday night Rich had a barbecue in his backyard and spent the better part of the day smoking ribs and chicken to perfection. Though I've greatly reduced the amount of meat I eat, how could I pass up home smoked chicken legs? Rich and his dad (and a few friends who came by to help) used wood from the peach tree next to the smoker and a deliciously spicy rub to make everything taste extra good. I brought a pasta dish I found on Clara's blog, but I forgot to take pictures. That could be the theme of the whole evening though, because I was eating and drinking and talking so much I didn't take many (good) shots.Summer barbecues and slight over eating are a 4th of July staple around here.
My non-stop red, white and blue frenzy must have rubbed off on Rich Keeping the fire goingRich had to fight people off from trying to steal a bite when he would open the door of the smoker to flip the meat, more than a few hands were burned trying to pull this offHere's a very hurried picture taken of me by LK because I insisted that my overly patriotic get-up be documented

F21 dress, Gap cardigan, Good headband, Juicy Couture necklace, Saltwater sandals (greatest summer shoes ever, I want every color), and a matching cup

Captured in time

Does anyone remember when you would go on a field trip you would always pack a disposable camera? This is before everyone had a digital camera, or cell phones had cameras (even before everyone had a cell phone!). Your name would be scrawled across it with a Sharpie so you wouldn't confuse it for someone else's. Of course, your parents thought it was so you would take pictures of the Liberty Bell, or the Washington Monument, or whatever other important thing you were going to see. But you always knew it was for snapping a picture of the boy you thought was cute who sat near you on the bus, or you and your girlfriends lined up and pretending to be the Spice Girls or the cast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
In a tiny cabinet I keep thousands of these photos from summer camp, field trips, European excursions and even just a regular day in high school. Each one is a moment captured in time. There were no do overs, there was no retouching. You snap the picture, and then you would have to wait to see it, wait to see what that moment held and the camera saved.
In Boston last weekend I realized that they wouldn't let me in to the Dispatch concert with my DSLR. We stopped to get a disposable camera and try our luck photographing the show, and if there was any film left, the rest of the weekend. Thinking about it now, its only fitting that I should take one of these to see Dispatch. When I fell in love with their music I was 14 at summer camp, and all we had were flimsy disposable cameras and the mystery and waiting to see what would develop.

Thursday's outfit

Just popping in to say hello, I hope everyone is having a spectacular weekend if its a holiday or not. We've been very busy with sunbathing at the beach, eating hamburgers and sitting in the grass until the early morning hours. This whole weekend I've been wearing a million combinations of red, white and blue, and here is what I wore Thursday for work and out to the Standard Biergarten. I'm off to a barbeque, crossing my finger there will be a few fireworks tonight!

Vintage pleated skirt, red Derek Hearts tee, Kork Ease Ava sandals, Marc by Marc Jacobs star timekeeper necklace

Standards

On Thursday evening after work I met up with Rich and his friends from work at the Standard Biergarten. It's underneath Highline Park which used to be an old elevated train running along the west side of Manhattan. Because I work downtown and they work further up I hung around outside on some pretty yellow benches where I saw a model having a photo shoot, a huge mouse statue and some monochromatic graffiti.It's an interesting place, with a very German feeling to it. When you arrive you buy tickets that you can redeem for beer and giant soft pretzels with mustard. Unlike a regular bar, its filled with tables and benches like a beer hall. Its impossibly crowded, but there's a good feeling and its filled with loud talking voices rather than blaring music and people straining to hear one another.I'm drinking a black ale. Prost!Kristin is Rich's friend from his office. She is a sweetheart and reads the blog. We had some fun talking about make-up and persistent boys (that we fell in love with, of course).Here are two friends of RIch's that don't work with him anymore, but came out for drinks anyway.