Snob in the City

New Product Alert!

2007-07-18T10:46:00.000-04:00

So I have to share a few new products I've been using that I really really like. I realize you all have your favorites and I always welcome new tips, but maybe, just maybe I can help a little too:)

Hair stuff:
Sunsilk ThermaShine-This stuff is great! I went to the store the other day is search of a cheap alternative to my Terax, which by the way is the best conditioner EVER made...But alas, it's something like $20 a small bottle so I have to conserve on weekdays when I know my hair doesn't have to be at 100%. But I've found the answer! This Sunsilk stuff is great! It smells pretty good, makes your hair super silky and then it boosts the shine big time when you take a hair dryer to it! And it feels good all day...A heads up though, if you want body and bigger hair, this is not for you. This makes it super smooth and flat.

Face Stuff:
Dr. Hauschka- What a line! I was a little nervous to buy it because it's not cheap and well, you never know with organic products what's going to happen three days later, so I purchased her started kit for like $18. It has little samples of everything...enough for like 2 weeks. It all smells very earthy and you can actually smell the different ingredients. It's not rough on your skin and really works towards creating balance. I especially love the deep cleanser! But, I also don't encourage people with super oily skin to use her moisturizers in the summer time...you get a little shiny... What can you do though, is every other day before you go to bed, instead of using her moisture cream, use that Neutrogena 3 in 1 preventative face gel to help keep pores clean and your skin zit free. The combo is working for me, so try it.

Quench black soap face wash: This is an awesome face cleanser. It's totally natural,but safely balanced and it cleans your skin wonderfully. The line is only sold online, but I got a sample and I actually really like the whole collection. Black soap is a cleanser that's been made is Africa for 100's of years and this girl from up here has decided to create fair trade groups with these African women to make her this cleanser and she pays them to fund their education and health care...it's all very cool. Check it out: www.quenchbathandbody.com

I think that's it for now...but I'm sure I'll find more!

A few brands I'm loving:
Three custom color
Neutrogena
Colgate toothpaste
Dyanne Belle jewelery

Mid summer...I can't believe how fast it goes.

2007-07-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

So I realize I haven't written in a while...things have been pretty busy around here. Most weekend have been away, actually ALL weekends so it's been pretty hard to really sit down and write. Work has also been crazy which is surprising...summer is usually super slow.

Weddings:
After Ilana's wedding launched wedding season things really started moving. Jill's bachelorette party was a few weeks later in the hills of Pennsylvania right outside of Pittsburgh. We had a great time veggin at her amazing house and hitting up the VFW and American Legion for some fun in the parking lot... oh yeh, we got kicked out of the American Legion due to lack of membership cards....pretty damn funny! But overall the weekend was awesome.

My bridal shower was about 3 weeks ago now. It was a lovely surprise and so beautifully done! It was at my home and it was a very elegant garden party. I loved every minute of it:) I didn't really think it would be my thing, but it was great and I'd do it again every weekend if I could. VERY fun!

Then my birthday...I'm officially in my late 20's now. I have to say I wasn't really that excited about my birthday this year, with all the wedding stuff going on and people doing so much for me with regards to that it's hard to expect anyone to get all pumped about me turning 27...I mean really...so it was just a normal day and it was great. My parents came in, we went to dinner...it was nice. The next day I had an event for work that I had been stressing about for a few weeks, which turned out fantastic and we followed that up with a fabulous dinner downtown with some friends in honor of my bday. Overall it was an awesome birthday and I loved the low key ness of it all.

This past weekend was Jill's wedding. We flew out 9am Saturday morning, went to the wedding and flew back the next morning. We were so tired it was hard to speak. But it was a very fun time and so good to see all my friends. I think one of the best things about all these weddings is getting to see everyone so often. I LOVE it! I can look forward to the next two years of seeing every one on a pretty regular basis.

hmmm...what else...went to see Die Hard...so fun!

oh! I knew there was a story I wanted to tell...it's kind of gross so if you get grossed out my talk of poop, stop reading now.

So get this, I was walking home a week or so ago, i was at 35th and park ave. and I see this man ( mind you, I'm 5 feet away) pull down his pants in broad daylight, bend over at the waist and shoot shit out of his ass!!!!!! I'm not kidding you! he didn't even squat, just bent over and it flew out of his butt like 5 feet! It was insane! Then he just pulled his pants up and walked away....I didn't know what to do, laugh, cry, run screaming...it was so amazing. One of those things you just don't forget.

With regards to the organic stuff...I had to stop taking the fish oil and flax seed oil because it was seriously messing up my stomach. The actual ground Flax seed is still great...I eat it everyday and would strongly suggest it to everyone. The whole shampoo thing is a bust...I'm back to using my good old Pantene. Face stuff, I've gone organic and I'm happy about it. It's not always the best smelling stuff, but it's nice to know exactly what's on my skin.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!~

Another Update

2007-06-07T14:52:00.000-04:00

Again...so much has happened! I don't even know where to start, there are so many things I want to talk about.
Wedding season has begun...Ken and I attended a fabulous wedding on Memorial Day weekend! Miss Ilana and Mike looked amazing and hosted a wonderful event complete with a day of sunshine, good food, drinks and a little hava nagila...God I love the horah! The weekend was great and we spent a bunch of time in the hotel, which was the home base for many many families attending Sesame Place, located .2 miles from the hotel...super. I don't like other peoples children and I especially don't like screaming kids sopping wet yelling, "more elmo, more elmo." But, we survived Elmo and had a great time in the process.

We purchased more furniture...I know, I know...super exciting...it is for me:) We got some end tables an ottoman and a rug. Now our living room is complete! I love coming home to my amazing apartment everyday...such a nice calm feeling. I was looking at apartments with my cousin the other day. She's planning on buying a studio in the next month or so and holy crap! I totally forgot how crappy NY apartments are when you are buying your first place. I went through that 5 years ago, but was lucky enough to find an awesome convertible studio with lot's of windows and light. But my goodness! Some of these places were awful! I'm talking the size of a bedroom with a bathroom going for $450k~! You have to sacrifice certain things for space and I'm sure she'll find a good one, but wow...I'm so thankful for my beautiful apartment.

On another note, I'm trying to go organic. It's hard, VERY HARD. I attempted to switch to organic shampoo and conditioner...my hair turns out gross and so hard to brush. Face stuff...smells pretty bad if it's really organic...toothpaste...yuck! But seriously people, they put Sodium Laurel Sulfate in EVERYTHING...and it's so bad for you! they use that stuff in floor cleaner and it's not only terrible for you body, but also for the environment. Alas, it makes my hair pretty and my teeth not grimy. Oh! and the deodorant thing...so Ammonia is bad for your pits...say it with me, "Ammonia is bad for my pits." But here's the questions...do you want to smell like ass and live longer without the threat of cancer in your glands and boobs or do you want to be fresh and clean and not have people stare at you as if you are a walking garbage can...tough decisions here people... I'd like to stay cancer free and keep my boobs AND not smell...is that too much to ask? I guess so because between two of us, we've tried Every single organic option and we smell. so I'm back to my degree ultra for the moment...i can feel the ammonia seeping into my skin...bastard.

An update on my flax seed oil and ground flax seed progress. It works. My hair is great, has stopped falling out. My stomach is 90% better than before and that's a HUGE breakthrough for me! So take it.

MY new discovery of the year! Seriously, this beats all others at the moment

2007-05-16T16:32:00.000-04:00

I have found the most amazing mascara ever! God knows I've tried them all, fabulash was good for about a year...then the clumping really got to me...Lancome, it's ok...Maybelline, you can tell me how great it is till you're blue in the face...it's crap for those of us who don't already have amazing lashes. Loreal Lash architect, it's good, but not good enough...I do love the little comb like brush head though.

So here I am...26 years old and I have found it. Besides getting eyelash extensions this is the ONLY mascara that really lengthens. FIBERWIG Mascara is amazing!

They claim Fiberwig is, "Engineered to create the perfect lashes with twice the amount of micro-fine interconnecting fibers, the instant drying formula creates a long lasting film coat around your natural lashes. Fiberwig imparts a perfect, smudge-proof maximum lash extension effect with a water-resistant formula that’s easy to remove with warm water, without risking damaging or losing your natural lashes. A jet-black fiber film coats the surface of each lash with long-lasting, clump-free, lash lengthening color that’s resistant to tears, sweat, and oil."

You have to apply coats of it though...the first coat does nothing but make your lashed darker, then the second coat the fibers start to fuse and build your lash length. Then by the third coat they are significantly longer and you can really the difference!

It's true every last word and more. AND...I know we've been told over and over again to curl your lashed before applying mascara, but with this you can curl after for the FULL wow factor. The fibers form a protective barrier and won't allow your lashes to break...nor will the mascara stick to your curler! So go ahead curl away and show off those amazing lashes!

ALSO, this stuff doesn't smug off or require make-up remover. Just lightly pull on your lashes in the shower under some warm water and you'll see the little black tubes on your finger tips. It doesn't leave a smug or anything!

GO BUY IT RIGHT AWAY!

Time to Relax

2007-05-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

I can't wait till Friday...You know when you just want the days to fly by so bad that you actually start to believe it's the next day? I've been saying it's Wed all day today and everyone thinks I'm a nut job...Watch, tomorrow it'll be Thursday and I'll be packing my bag! hehehe:)

Anyway, we leave for the Hotel Victor in South Beach on Friday night Can't freakin wait! I think I might actually pack my bag tonight just for the fun of it. I got this adorable little dress that I purchased today after walking into this very cute little cheap boutique. So there you go! I have something to pack:) I seriously think it's going to be like 2 dresses a tank top and bathing suit. That's it!

I also went and purchased all these travel sized items so I could carry my bag onto the plane...wow that was annoying! And watch, they'll probably take away my lip gloss anyway, bastards!

Then the following weekend is the kick off to wedding season!!! Ilana's wedding is coming up fast and I couldn't be more excited:) I think this is going to be a fabulous summer! I get to see all my college friends that I haven't seen in years, dance my butt off, eat some great food, and drink some good wine! On the weekends that we're not at weddings hopefully we'll be chillin down the shore or by my pool. Yes, yes, this is going to be a great summer!

Oh! Side note, now that it's getting warmer and many of the younger females in the city are peeling away the layers of clothing and exposing a little too much skin. I have to comment on the display. Today I saw a girl walking down the street in front of me with a very short skirt on that every time she took a step swooped up and exposed her entire ass...she was also wearing like 100 year old underwear that should have been thrown away about 100 years ago or never even purchased. Her top was way too tight and she was wearing 3 1/2 inch heeled strappy sandals at 10am walking down the street. She must have thought she looked really hot. She did not.

I could go on, but I'll leave that for next time. I'm sure I'll have more good ones to share:)

Time Flies

2007-05-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

So much happens and I can never remember what I did yesterday! Seriously, it's May 2nd! Where did April go? I know we had Easter in there somewhere, moved apts, moved offices, went to philly for a Bachelorette party, celebrated a friends birthday...the list goes on and on, but the month felt like a weekend! And here we are May 2nd. 24 days away from a best friends wedding...the first of many and I'm so very excited!

Before we get to that though, Ken and I will be taking a short trip down to South Beach. It was all very sudden, but I'm very excited! We're staying at the Hotel Victor which turns out is a pretty fabulous place. I hadn't really heard of it until recently, but damn! That place is awesome! This way we'll be nice and tan for the wedding the following weekend:)

We've also sorted out our Honeymoon...you see, this is BIG! We've struggled for months trying to figure this out and we've finally decided to go to Thailand. I couldn't be more excited and now will start counting the days till our departure. The 17 hour flight will require something a little stronger than xanax, but I think we'll survive.

We moved the office on Monday...next door. We needed more wall space for shelving and showroom stuff so even though we had this very sunny corner office with all windows, we had to move to a room with less light. It just makes sense and I think we'll get used to it very fast. it's just such a pain in the butt setting everything up again just to move 4 feet away! Poor Oscar was wondering back and forth all day trying to find his spot...the little dog passed out so hard that night I had to wake him up the next morning just to go out and pee...and if you know Oscar, that's just strange. He's always up super early begging me to take him out.

And on a product note...I went to Bliss the other day and had a fantastic massage and purchased these great Steep Clean cleansing pads along with the moisturizer to match and I LOVE it! If you're looking for something new to make your skin shine and to clear it up this stuff is awesome!

Our new home

2007-04-23T15:23:00.000-04:00

The moves went awesome...both of them...ken on Tuesday me on Wednesday. We're pretty much settled in and even introduced Oscar to his new home yesterday. He had been staying with my parents in Jersey till we moved and painted and all that fun stuff. I think Oscar was a little freaked out by the whole thing. He was like, "all my stuff is here, and the rugs smell right, but this is definitely not my home..." poor kid. And he won't go out on the terrace just yet either. He'll get used to the place slowly and with our new massive bed all three of us can sleep without competing for bed space:) THIS makes me very happy!

I cooked my first meal in our new place last night. I made Veal paprikas...I'm proud to say it turned out pretty damn good! We had a nice meal together and then headed to Pink Berry for dessert. I'm not ashamed to admit it...I'm obsessed with the stuff. I eat it for lunch and after dinner. It's refreshing and makes my stomach feel good. I can't say enough good things. It should be located on every other corner...maybe take over some of those awful tasti delight spots. Damn that shit is bad! I never noticed till I had Pink Berry!

Went to one of my best friends bachelorette party this weekend as well in Philly...busy busy...We had a blast! I always leave them and wish so hard that they all lived here. It takes so much for me to be like, "OK, now it's time to leave and see you again in a few months." It just doesn't seem right, but it's not changing anytime soon so I'm just going to value the time we do spend together. It's just such an amazing feeling when we're all together...kind of like when you get to have your favorite meal and watch your favorite movie, while totally relaxing on the couch on a day off from work...that total comfort. The wedding is 5 weeks!!! Holy Crap!

So for right now things are great! I can't wait for the summer and weekends at the shore...time to just relax and eat flavor ice while sunning on the deck. Our wedding is getting closer and closer, which makes me super excited and I have a feeling there are going to be some proposals coming up amongst some of my best friends! EVEN BETTER! It's just a happy time:)

WE DID IT!

2007-04-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

We closed on the apt...thank god! It all went very well and there was no tension or any bad feelings. Usually those things are so tense thanks to all the lawyers, but mostly we chatted about honeymoon locations and how the flip tax in NYC sucks royally. It was over in an hour...I wrote out some big checks, handed over any money I had and left with a huge debt and keys to our new apt! Very exciting! We ran over there and just walked around our new space with huge smiles on our faces loving every inch of it.

The weekend was consumed with painting and running around getting stuff for the new place. Sunday Ken scrubbed the bathroom walls and I helped wash it all down...I cleaned all the closets and started to organize everything. By Sunday night the apt was repainted and ready to be moved into. Tomorrow morning Ken moves in and then Wed is my big day:) It's all kind of hard to believe, but it's real and this is my new home. We live together, we own property together,we share a massive debt, we have our dishes that we will be using for the next 5 to 10 years...AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER!

On a different note...the vitamin situation has become this...Flax Seed Oil and Fish Oil with OMega-3/Omega-6... plus a multi vitamin. On a tip from a good friend, she mentioned the fish oil...and even though it smell terrible, she says her skin is amazing from it.

Almost there

2007-04-09T17:07:00.000-04:00

Wow! Pretty much the perfect word to describe what has been going on with the closing on our new apartment. I'm just amazed at the entire process and how many freakin people have to come together to make this work. It's really quite baffling if you think about it...especially in Manhattan. The fact that 6 parties have to be available at the EXACT SAME time is virtually impossible to even imagine in this city. Everyone is always busy and doing something else...so to expect 6 different parties to converge at let's say 11AM on a Friday for 2 hours...is well...asking a hell of a lot from a higher power...But, it's happening.

FRIDAY 11AM we're closing and God help me if anything goes wrong or if anyone gets sick...I will be there if my leg is in a brace and I've broken out in head to toe hives! I WILL BE THERE AND SO SHOULD THEY! But, seriously, this process has been such a pain in the ass. We waited and waited and waited for people to call back...I mean for the love of god...I want to give you my money!!!! Call me back! Finally this morning our lawyer called with the good news...Friday. This is one full week later from when we had desired, but hey! It's better than the 17th, which was our other option. I guess I should just be thankful. I'm just so tired of incompetent people talking to me like I'm some kind of schmuck...it's come down to me just stopping them and saying, "say what you have to say because I have to go."

So that's the news on the apartment. As of 1pm on Friday Ken and I will own our apartment. WHOO HOOO!

So totally off the subject, does anyone take Flax Seed Oil supplements? I started taking them and I've read some great things about it...seriously, they make this sound like the miracle pill. I'm going to have great hair and nails, get skinny, my skin will glow and I won't die of a heart attack or colon cancer! Well, damn Gina! I'm set!
Thoughts?

Things are moving right along

2007-04-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

These past three weeks have been quite an adventure let me tell you! I started packing, moved ALL my stuff out, moved home to Jersey for a week of fun in the sun commuting, went on a fabulous much needed vacation last week and now just found out that we have PASSED the coop board for our new apartment. It's all come full circle. This process began three months ago! We met with the board last night and even though we were all set for a firing squad of questions there was no need for us to be nervous. We were met at the door by two very friendly dogs and a couple members of the coop board. We sat down, chatted about the building, talked about all the amenities, picked up a phone # for a great cleaning lady...all in all I'd say it went damn smoothly. After about three minutes they were like, "ok, well we're done...questions?" Ok...now, we were told explicitly NOT to ask any questions so Ken and I were very tentative to actually say anything. I kept thinking, "this is a trick..." But they I just started asking away and they were very happy with us and our questions:) We left there after about 25 minutes with their approval.

This whole process is, as Ken so perfectly stated last night, like running through really thick mushy sand. Just as you finally get one foot out there's something else in the way...our next step is getting to closing. You see there are more lawyers involved in a closing than in anything else I can think of! You've got like 5 attorneys floating around trying to make their schedules work and then you add in the bank and the other bank and the seller and then us and you're left with a clusterfuck of emails and phone calls flying around with us pushing as hard as all hell to close ASAP and then seller taking his sweet ass time.

For us we want to get in there immediately because we are currently sharing a very small space that is chock full of all my suitcases. There's about 5 feet of walking space and then a bed and a couch...all in one room. So we're getting a little tired of being 3 inches from each other's faces...We want to get in there, paint the shit colored walls and move in! But then the attorneys get involved and something as easy as calling up the seller and saying, "dude, I'll throw you a couple hundred bucks and a liability release form if you let me in before closing just to paint," turns into a ton of emails and angry phone calls...total shit show.

So here we are...begging to get into our new place and waiting for someone to return our call other than our annoying as all hell real estate broker.

But besides all that, we're very happy!!!! Our vacation was incredible. We relaxed on the beach, swam in the amazing water, drank our share of pina coladas, ate some wonderful meals and did some good shopping. I'm always so sad to leave St. Maarten...one day I think I might just stay there for good. Buy a pretty villa on the beach and just live there. How great would that be!!! A girl can dream right;)

The end of an era

2007-03-15T10:50:00.000-04:00

I moved out of my apartment. The place is totally empty and we're closing on it tomorrow! I can't believe it actually happened, but I'm glad it went smoothly and it's done done done!!! The day started out early with heading to Uhaul to pick up our 17ft truck. Thank god Ken was willing to drive the thing, because if it were in my hands we would have crashed three times and ran at least 5 red lights...The things is just so wide and has NO turning capacity! But we made it to the apt and luckily my dad had reserved a spot right in front of my building so we just took that one and started loading up!

I had spent last weekend boxing everything up so we just took trips bringing down boxes and furniture. The last little bits of stuff were shoved into a large bag and chucked in with the rest of it. I vacuumed up the dust, wiped down the counter tops and said my goodbyes. I didn't cry...came very close, but held it together. That apt and I had been through some good times! Girls nights, great cries, tons of laughs and well, the mice and roaches...let's not forget them. Overall I loved it very much. I hope this new girl gets some great years out of it as well:)

I'm on to bigger and better things...Ken and I will be moving into our first home together hopefully in early April! We've picked our paint colors, which went super smooth! It seems once we can merge the different languages we speak in terms of colors, we're actually talking about the same things...but you know guys...they see in greys and greens so it's a little hard sometimes. But ultimately, we talking about the same colors just to me it might be a warm white and to him it's a warm grey...I still don't get that but ok:)
Next we'll pick a bed and a couch! All the fun stuff. AND the Kitchen Aid mixer will find its place on our counter...I can't wait!

So for right now I'm a floater...I'll be in Jersey next week and then on vacation is sunny St. Maarten the week after. Wedding stuff has come to a halt... we're proofing our invites this week I think and then we're really on hold till August when the tastings start and we go to the flower market to pick flowers.

A great reunion

2007-03-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

I truly believe that people leave your life and return for a reason. We meet friends, we lose friends, we hurt each other sometimes unknowingly and sometime intentionally. Overall we are driven by emotion when it comes to friendship, so making rational decisions in times of crisis are rare.

So the normal pattern is explosion, sadness, angry again and then apathy. basically the steps of grief. There's that time period between the anger and apathy when you are finally able to see through the fog and decide whether or not this is worth it...the friendship that is. Sometimes you're like, "this is dumb, I love this person what the hell are we fighting for?" and then there are times when you just think to yourself, "this is so not worth it. I just don't care anymore and I'm not going let myself be sucked back in." And friendships continue and end everyday after thoughts just like these. This process can take a very short amount of time as in a few days or might even take months to finish! Anyway, this is how I work. All of my fights with friends have followed this pattern...except for one.

This one fight with two of my closest friends from college never actually happened. But from one month to another our friendships dissolved and I was left with tons of pictures of us and happy memories that I thought we'd relive at our weddings together! At the time it felt like the end of the world, but I can't remember exactly how it happened. There was no fight, no confrontation, no actual reason we stopped being friends...oh wait, yes there was. This girl, let's called Krazy Bunnett. She managed in 6 months to manipulate her way into our circle and play us all for fools. The thing is I didn't realize any of this till this weekend when at my sorority reunion I saw them again. I was terrified that they were till angry and they were! After 5 years of thinking about them and wondering what was going on in their lives I was faced with the reality that they were still angry about "something," and I wasn't going to have the chance to talk to them. By the end of the night I couldn't take it anymore and approached one of them. We quickly started talking about our lives and weddings and babies...crazy! one of them is pregnant! I finally addressed the issue and to both of our surprise we were both under very different impressions of what happened. They had been manipulated but this crazy girl and I had been left out in the cold. I never knew what happened, but now I'm getting a pretty clear picture. So we laughed and hugged and it felt amazing! I just hope that after all these years we can rebuild a friendship that was incredible...at least to me it was.

BUT! here's the thing..in that time period where I "lost" these friends I met my current closest friends in college! These girls are amazing and I can't imagine my life without them. So this poses a question...would I do it over again differently? Would I want that fight to never have happened, meaning I would never have become close with these other girls? I don't know! But, I do know that they are some of the best things to ever happen in my life! I guess I'm pretty lucky now...I have them and have reunited with these girls that meant so much to me. When did i get so lucky!!!

Anyway, I had to write this down because it's just so great. To see them again and to talk felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders! They are doing so well and are so happy and I couldn't have wished for anything more for them...well, now a healthy baby for one of them! (still can't believe that)

I guess things really do happen for a reason.

Oscar Comments

2007-02-26T11:13:00.000-05:00

So last night I watched the Oscars along with a billion other people. It was nice to see Marty Scorsese finally win. I def got excited! Hellen Mirren...ok, she's the hottest woman over 60, no exception! WOW! Ellen did a great job hosting...wish there had been more of her! Those dancers behind the screen were awesome! Best part of the show!

The hands down best dress woman of the night, was Rachel Weisz. Seriously, that woman looked incredible! From her hair to her make-up, to her dress and shoes...she reigned supreme. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised...she is one of the most elegant women is Hollywood today.

BAD...Cameron Diaz. The dress was ok, she took a chance and well, she has a kick ass body so it's not like she's going to look really terrible in anything, but the hair was god awful and her make-up...where was it? I think my favorite thing on her were those earrings! wow!

Jennifer Hudson...what the hell was that? And don't come at me with, "well it's going to be so instyle to wear this little jackets..." OH HELL NO! She is a big girl, I'm a big girl...I look fatter in these things and so did she! She does NOT need added puff in her shoulders, she already has nice shoulders! The dress was pretty, it was just that...pretty. I liked the pockets and she look comfy in it. The brown..eh...her skin tone was so close to the color of the dress and her make-up was so fantastic that I would have like to see her in another color... the gold dress she had on at the press box was awesome!

Celine Dion...stunning! I loved everything about her dress and look last night. It was so refreshing to not see a pleat or a sequence...it just flowed so well.

Nicole Kidman...ok ok, enough with the long straight hair already! The dress was awesome and she looked fantastic in it. It was one of my favs of the night, but the hair color was a little brassy and made her face look yellow. BUT...she was so beautiful it's hard to say anything bad.
Gweneth Paltrow... When I first saw her all I could say was, "what?" but then I took a closer look and she actually looked ok. The dress was really quite beautiful. It had nice details and the the actual shape of the dress was drop dead hot! I don't know about the color, but she def wore the dress...it didn't wear her. Her hair...same as Nicole's...fine.
If I looked anything like Gweneth I'd thank my lucky stars and wear whatever I wanted...

Kate Winslet...looked like a key lime puff. It was ok...nothing special at all...I love it when she wears deep jewel tones...she just sparkles so much more like that.
Cate Blanchett...She always looks incredible! I kind of felt like she was wearing a suit of armor at first, but then with that one shoulder cap and her stunning figure...she looked fantastic. The color was cool too..very different. And if you had a chance to see her earrings...they were so amazing!

Reese Witherspoon...lovely, pretty, sharp, confident! I LOVED this dress! her hair was very cute as well. She went with the long and straight, but thank god did NOT brush it all to one side like some others...and the bangs were very chic on her...normally I would say ick to bangs but she pulled it off!

Kirsten Dunst...terrible silver big bird...what the F was that shit?! yuck! and she does not look good in bangs...totally fugly!

Beyonce...it was ok...I think it must have been better in person because people were raving! I'll give her the benefit of the doubt because she did look very pretty!

Jennifer Lopez...My third favorite dress of the night! She looked perfect! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

All in all I'd like to applaud the stylists of this years Oscars! They did a fantastic job! It's always so obvious to me when a celeb tries to dress themselves...Meryl Streep...last night...did not use a stylist. Anne Hathaway should shoot her stylist and why oh why did Valentino make that dress?! At least no one fell or wore John Paul Gautier...;)

I'd give this Oscar a 6.

Update

2007-02-23T12:20:00.000-05:00

So a quick update...Wedding planning is wrapping up:) We finalized the photographer, the transportation, the invites. Now the only thing left is setting up the rooms at the hotel for us. And let me just say, the W Hotel is not making this easy or fun.

This place has no system in place for a bride and groom. Basically, they give you a really nice suite for the night of your wedding and that's it...no bridal suite or place for the groom to get ready...nada. You have to book 2 additional suites the night before and then hope to god they let you do a late check out so that you're not left in the cold at noon. What it came down to was that I have to book this great suite that happens to cost a fortune for that extra night just to make sure there's a place for me to get ready and a place for my bridal party to put their dresses on! And well, Ken is still deciding what he's going to do. Such a mess and so RUDE! I don't think I'll ever recommend the W to anyone ever again. I just think they have way too many weird rules and stuff and it's just too pricey to deal with that shit.

Let's hope that the food is great and the service is excellent the day of the wedding...God help them if it's not. I have no plans of being stressed out the day of my wedding or letting anything get to me:) I mean, it's going to be great no matter what!

Other than that, the bridesmaid dresses should be arriving very soon! yay! and my wedding dresses should be getting here sometime next month! oh please let them fit!

I think that's it for now...I'm sure something will pop up, but for right now we're just hanging out.

We're trying to make sure everything with the new apt is in order. We have to submit our board package next week sometime, so cross your fingers that it's going to go through! And then I move out of my current apartment on the 14th. Insane. I can't actually imagine doing that, but it's going to happen very soon.

Angry People

2007-02-13T10:43:00.000-05:00

I have a hard time relating to angry people. I think it's because I'm the type of person who gets mad, explodes, and then just goes back to being normal happy and content. So when I'm caught off guard by one of these angry people I don't know what to do.

Last night I was getting into the elevator of my building with Oscar, my little dog. We had just said good night to Ken and I have to say I had a big smile on my face as I entered the cabin.

I unhooked Oscar's leash because I saw that we were getting off first, not that he would EVER run out...he's such a good dog. The guy in the elevator says, "Keep your dog away from me, I hate dogs." I was so shocked I just stared at him...and then the words came to me. So I asked him, "you hate dogs, yet you moved into a pet friendly building where dogs are abundant?" and he says, " I hate rats." Can you believe this guy? This middle aged, balding, not attractive, angry man!!!? So I told him I thought he was as asshole and that that Oscar didn't like him either. And then! As I got off the elevator he yelled, "rat!" So I yelled back "Ugly Douche Bag." Mature, I know...but come on! Who does that?! An Angry person does that.

I ran into my apartment and called down to the doorman to ask who this guy was and of course the first thing he said was, "he's an angry evil man." He then told me that he has been very mean to many people in the building and has had full on physical fights with a few dog owners as well. This is the guy that when his wife had a baby, went around to everyone on his floor threatening them if they smoked a cigarette in their apts or lit a candle...WOW!

Well, I just had to vent becuase I don't understand people like that. He must have a terrible life if he has to be that mean to a little dog.

Flats for the season...seriously, why wear heels and suffer when you can wear these!

2007-02-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

I have always loved high heels, but at 5'11 it gets tricky and not to mention painful! And I don't wear cheap shoes either, so even though they're balanced and pretty, they still hurt and I find myself sitting most of the time when I go out...and if I'm not sitting I'm thinking about it.

Below are some flats I think everyone can wear:

These are adorable!!!! Little. Yellow. Different. Corso Como flats are wonderful, comfortable and durable.

Python is THE print for spring...Just wait and see...I can't tell you how much of it I've sent out to pubs for april/may issues! This shoes is fabulous and perfect for everyday!

These Sam Edelman ballet flats are just too cute for words, and I can tell you they are a super delicate and pretty shoe. I tried these on the minute they came into the office and haven't stopped staring at them since!

Pretty, pretty pretty! What a pefect spring flat and not overpriced.Oscar does a great job with these.

I LOVE these Jeffrey Campbell flats! They go with jeans, skirts, pants...whatever!!! And they come in great transition colors as well, so in case you're not ready to jump into yellow, this is a great way to make the move.

If you don't like these Sam Edelman shoes, well...I don't really know what to say...They are so fun and when you put them on you feel fabulous! The color isn't too in your face and they are so feminine!
I promise you'll love them.

Something worth checking out

2007-01-30T10:37:00.000-05:00

Recently I've noticed myself getting older. I look a little different, I'm not running to change my shoes so I can go out for a big night on the town, I look at 2 1/2 inch heels and think...ok now that's better, I don't listen to music as loud as I used to and finally, my love for Opera has grown incredibly!

I have always been an opera fan. Car rides with my family did not exist without a little Puccini or Verdi, and whether I liked it or not, there they were, the robust voices of Domingo, Carreras and Pavarotti! For me Maria Callas was like Debbie Gibson...I really felt like I knew her. My dad would start the car and I'd make my case for Z100 and then he'd say NO and the Tosca would start. He's hum the intro and then slowly start to sing...He has a terrible singing voice, but after a while I was so in awe of how he knew every single word. He would translate it for me so I could appreciate the story and after a while I would begin to hum as well. You might say this is not normal. Most families get in a car and listen to the radio or talk, but not my family...we listened to opera.

It never occured to me that this was strange. Until my friends would come with us somewhere or on a trip and they were in total SHOCK! I can only imagine the things they told their parents and other friends, but I honestly didn't care because the music was so beautiful.

At 26 I now look forward to my opera season. My parents and I go back and forth on tickets and who gets to see what...I check out the next season schedule super early...Some people look forward to rock concerts, I look forward to La Traviata.

So this brings me to what I really want to talk about...Anna Netrebko. SHe is the most incredible soprano I have ever heard! This young Russian singer began her career scrubbing floors in the opera house in Russia and has become one of the worlds best. Her voice is amazing and you can't help but take notice. I heard her for the first time a couple weeks ago at the Metropolitan Opera singing the lead Soprano is Bellini's I Puritani, a wonderful story of love, loss and reuniting. It's actually one of the very few operas that has a happy ending! Shocking, I know, but I was so captivated by her the 3 hour opera flew by!

And so this morning when I turned on the today show, there she was. She is gorgeous and funny, she sparkles on screen as well as on stage and she is making it her mission to bring opera to the younger generation. And when I say younger, I mean ages 18-40! I'm not talking about the little kids, there's time for them still. I wish for this age group to be able to listen and appreciate something as beautiful as opera.

Anyway, I hope you check her out...she really is amazing and I hope to see you at the MET soon:)

A New Home!

2007-01-23T11:03:00.000-05:00

So we finally did it...more like, it finally happened...we found an apt and the seller accepted our offer! I can't even tell you how happy this makes me! The apt is great...a nice sized one bedroom in a great neighborhood not far from where we live now,brand new everything, with a terrace! Oh and awesome closet space! There are actually two walk in closets in this apt...very rare for NYC.

So here we are...prepping for the sale of my apt, trying to get contracts signed on our new apt and finally, finding a photographer and rehearsal dinner location for the wedding. Does anyone have any suggestions for restaurants...the catch is it can't be too expensive and it must have a party room. For example, Otto was choice #1, but to have it there it would cost $40k...so nothing like that...Any suggestions would be appreciated.

So that's the update!! whoo hooo! Things are looking up:)

Apt, wedding...

2007-01-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

The saga continues...We found an apt we like! It's down the block from my current apt so the move wouldn't be so bad and well, it's just a great space! The process of actually buying the apt is the tough part...well, no, that's not that bad, the process of bidding on the apt is painful and difficult. It's a time filled with high stress and lot's of emotion, which I know is exactly what's NOT meant to happen, but does.

So here we go. I see this apt on 25th street, I love it. I call Ken and tell him he has to see it THAT DAY! He comes to see it, likes it, we talk about putting a bid in...18 hours later, we place our first bid. A bid we thought was reasonable...turns out we had to come up...we did that...came very close to asking...got a call that another bidder was right at us, so we gave our best and final offer at what we thought was the best price that represented what this apt means to us. Get a call this morning that the seller is giving the OTHER bidders 24 hours to sign their contract if they don't, it's ours...UGH!!!!!!!! Seriously, this is bullshit and I can't help but take this to heart! I want that apt! Chances are we are not going to get it, but I just wanted to show you all what this process is like. It's insane!

Wedding stuff has picked up again...meetings with photgraphers, invite designers, transportation people...it's all in process again and between seeing apts, working and planning the wedding there are not enough days in a week.

I just keep flipping through my date book and I'm way into APril with planning stuff for work but i have to keep in mind that I am moving out of my apt on April 30th!!!! Crazy! ANd then my wedding will only be 5 months away!!!!

Does anyone feel like their life is just flying by and you're working at light speed to keep up and try to remember everything...birthdays, weddings, friends,family...

Is this really happening?

2007-01-10T12:47:00.000-05:00

I've asked myself this question every hour for the past three days because I feel like my life is all at once crashing down and being rebuilt. It's incredibly terrifying and amazingly exciting all at the same time. My apartment is about to be sold to the highest bidder, yes, we are now nearing a bidding war and there are 7, count them, 7 offers on my adorable chic apartment. Problem #1. going through the process of selling is a bitch and there is no clear timeline. #2. WE HAVE NO PLACE TO LIVE. As soon as I close on my apt I'm homeless, and so now it's crunch time and I'm running around the city like a freak trying to find us a home with the right amount of closet space, allows dogs and is big enough. I can't even tell you how frustrating it all is.

Today I saw an apt on West 16th street...a total dump in a great area. That's a no. An Awesome HUGE apt on 76th and 1st that is perfect for us...but do I want to move back to the Upper East Side after living in the heart of Gramercy for 3 years...hmmmm... It's all very difficult to decide, but it's not like we have much time to sit and "think" about all the possibilities. We have to find something, get out financial shit together so that the board can rip us apart, pray they have mercy and let us though, and then buy this sucker within hours of closing on my apt!

I just feel this enormous amount of pressure that cannot be avoided anymore. AND trying to plan little details of my wedding are getting harder and farther away from my immediate mindset. Oh and work...that little thing, which thank god I have freedom or we'd be living in a box in 2 months. But work is busy and I feel guilty I'm running around instead of doing my job. So all in all I'd say I'm reaching breaking point in about 5 days. Thank GOD we're heading to Florida for a break this weekend, even though what we should be doing is hitting up every single open house on the East side on sunday...I'll be stressing come monday afternoon. At that point a contract will be signed on my place and I'll know when I have to move out. Super.

I have a problem with...

2007-01-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

Celebrities. No seriously, I have a huge problem with the way our current society finds the lives of these extremely ordinary people fascinating. I hate how we send them free stuff all the time. I think their constantly changing hairstyles, increasingly tacky new styles, and drastic weight gain and loss are simply absurd. If I hear anymore about who wore or didn't wear underwear to so and so's dumb ass party at some lame ass club in some other city, I might puke.

It used to be fun to read about them in the paper in page six and so on, but I feel like it's been taken to a whole new level. ALl we see on TV are shows about how rich they are and what they buy. We structure the way we look around "trends" dictated by asshole stylists from freakin bum fuck nowhere who all of a sudden woke up one day and said, "I think I'm going to be a stylist, yep, that's it...I have style." and Voila! You have someone now who thinks that they know clothing. And from that develops "style," like that of Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan...or lack thereof. And yet, we still send them shit. I just had to put together the most adorable gift pack for one of these immature arrogant little bitches. She's getting a new bikini, fabulous bag and of course other fun little things. Does she deserve it? No. Does she deserve a good kick in the pants and some serious therapy, as in being sent to Uzbekistan for 3 months with no toilet paper...yes.

I'm sorry, I'm just venting because this weekend I realized that I live my life as if I have a lot of money and I find myself carrying the same bags as these stupid celeb bitches and wearing the same shoes, but I don't have that kind of money. But I feel like everything I read and watch and listen to is about money and so many people have so much of it. It's not like I read everyday how people are starving on the street, no it's about another ass rich kid crashing his car into something and how he's going to get an even bigger and more expensive one this time! It's about what billionaire bought what yacht from another billionaire, who now wants to focus his attention on discovering outerspace... I just don't get it...when did we become so shallow?

When did we allow the media to bury us in a constant flow of celebrity garbage?! I don't care who threw what party in Miami or if Britney passed out because she's a schmuck...I mean, for the love of GOD the top story was NOT our former president Ford dying...it's was James Brown! And as much as I respect the man...he wasn't president of this country!

So as we enter 2007 I think my New Years resolution is going to be to stop reading and listening to all this crap about how much money celebs have and who puked on who at last nights party. I think I'm going to focus my attention on the people around me and how even though they might not drive around in a Bentley and summer on a yacht in St. Tropez, they are still fabulous.

New York City at Christmas time

2006-12-20T13:07:00.000-05:00

I love:
-The smell of chesnuts from the street carts
-Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate
-christmas decorations EVERYWHERE! Even the shady taxi hubs have Christmas decorations!
-Salvation army people ringing the bell...yeh...it can get annoying, but damn those people stand there for hours and just to raise money for others who need it! I LOVE THAT!
-The smell of Christmas candles
-Random people wearing christmas sweaters and santa hats
-The occasional act of kindness in a store.( this is not very often as New Yorkers push and shove and fight to the death for everything this time of the year)
-PRESENTS! BIG ONES!
-exchanging small gifts with friends
-the excuse to eat chocolate and other very fatty foods...I take this to a whole new level and now that I've gotten into baking...it's bad.
-Christmas parties with friends! I love seeing everyone get hammered in the spirit of Christmas...Makes the baby Jesus cry, but it's fun.
-Christmas music everywhere I go.

I should not drink...

2006-12-14T10:19:00.000-05:00

Saying it over and over again in the bathroom at the bar for the 3rd time in a half hour, "I should not drink, I should really not drink..." Yep, that's me...26, with absolutely NO tolerance for alcohol. You know it's bad when after your second glass of white wine your lips are a little numb and the journey to the ladies room "flies" by...you know what I'm talking about...where you just pop up from the table and before you know it you've peed and returned and you're like, "wow! I'm so fast," but everyone else is probably thinking, "she's left the table now 3 times...I hope she's ok?"

So last night Ken and I had drinks with two friends down at the Tribeca Grand...They were drinking dry gin martinis like they were water, so I thought, three glasses of wine are NOT going kill me...yeh...sure, but I did get loaded. AND...it didn't stop there...at dinner at Landmarc (my favorite favorite) Ken oredered a bottle of wine...and yes...I drank so more. I can only imagine how loud I was talking because i just remember thinking, "this is goign to be bad...I need more bread." Following a great dinner, we hit up the bubble lounge for a glass of champagne...like I needed it right? At this point we're both pretty drunk and we just start yelling at each other in total fun about our hellish life changing apartment hunt, with me being the total pessimist and him being the wonderful optimist. But we were YELLING!!!! Thank god there were not a lot of people there because we might have been kicked out. I think we were that loud!

I make it home, Ken continues on to his place and at this point I'm thinking, he is so not going to want to marry me anymore...I'm such a drunk! Ok, so I was a little dramatic...and just for the record he still wants to marry me:)

I then proceed to "return calls at 1am." Not a good idea...I then had a 45 min conversation with a family friend about a business plan and development property...also, not a good idea.

ANd I passed out...

Woke up this morning still a little drunk and hungover as all hell. I actually made myself an egg and cheese on whole wheat and ate it as if I was still in college nursing a hangover!!!! And...I feel sorry for myself that I have to function in society today. I kind of suck right now:(

So as I enter into holiday party season I will NOT be drinking. This is the problem, I don't really ever drink period. And then one night I decide it's cool to have 6 glasses of wine and I make an ass out of myself. SO no more drinking. Done with that till New Years:)

Made me laugh this morning...

2006-12-13T10:25:00.000-05:00

Boobs & Willies

A family is at the dinner table. The son asks his father, "Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?"

The father, surprised, answers, "Well, son, there are three kinds of breasts. In her 20s, a woman's breasts are like melons, round and firm. In her 30s to 40s, they are like pears, still nice but hanging a bit. After 50, they are like onions".

"Onions?"

"Yes, you see them and they make you cry."

This infuriated his wife and daughter so the daughter said, "Mum, how many kinds of 'willies' are there?"

The mother smiles and answers, "Well dear, a man goes
through three phases. In his 20s, his willy is like an oak tree,
mighty and hard.

In his 30s and 40s, it is like a birch, flexible but reliable. After his 50s, it is like a Christmas tree".

"A Christmas tree?"

"Yes --- dead from the root up and the balls are just for decoration.

I've fallen soooo behind!

2006-12-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

Wow! So much has happened and I haven't had a moment to write about any of it! I'll go in order...

Waverly Inn:
Ken and I got back to the city following the craziness of Thanksgiving and decided to try something new. We weren't sure if we'd get a table, if it was going to be super snobby or if we'd even find it! But, we found it, got a great table next to the fireplace and it was FANTASTIC! I haven't had a steamed artichoke, well, ever and they served it with butter and another dipping sauce...YUMMY! There is currently a Preview menu that they are trying before the official opening in January, so the options are simple,but wonderful, the wine list is really great and the prices are very low! I'm hoping when they officially open the prices wil stay where they are, because it's just that good. For dinner I had woodoven cooked mussels and Ken had the short ribs...Both done to perfection. Oh! and the biscuits they serve warm with butter are the perfect way to start a meal on a chilly night!!! I was so impressed with the place and have been trying to get back there but it's been so crazy with other stuff going!

Lasik Eye Surgery
It's official! I can see! No really, I can see better than perfect...I now have 20/15 vision with ehh hem...NO GLASSES or CONTACTS! The surgery was interesting...I'd hate to say painful, because I want to encourage as many people as possible to do it, but it did hut a little bit. I mean, they put these holders in your eyes, which kill and then there's a ton of pressure,but the actual laser part doesn't hurt and it's over in 21 seconds each eye. After all the excitement I slept for 6 hours and then another 8 and I woke up a new person. Now, almost a week later I can start running again and living life as usual,but now I can wear earrings ALL THE TIME! See...for a whole year i couldn't wear my fabulous earrings because glasses and earring look like a Chico ad...

Apartment Stuff
I feel like I go in circles about this...But, we finally started talking to brokers about getting my apartment on the market. I cleaned like a mad woman and emptied it out so it's open house ready...now we just have to get down to business. Hoping for the first open house this weekend, but we'll see. Ken and I found two apartments we really like. One is on 35th and lex and the other is 74th and 3rd...i know...Upper East Side! But, it's a beautiful building, huge one bedroom, HIGH floor looking down 3rd ave...It's us. The other one is also a big one bedroom, with a terrace, brand new everything...it's hard to pass up. So we're going to try! WHoo hoo! Now I just have to get rid of some clothing and shoes!

more to tell later...

Thanksgiving...went well.

2006-11-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

First things first, as a total side bar...I've been wearing glasses for the past year because I was not allowed to wear my conctact lenses...I had to do this because my eyes needed to recover from years of damage done by contacts so that I can get Lasik eye surgery. AND finally...the doctor gave me the green light and I am now schedule for the procedure Wed morning 8:30am!!! This is super exciting for me after spending a whole year stuck in my glasses I'm finally going to be free of them FOREVER!

Anyway! back to Thanksgiving. It was a ton of work,but very fun to see the whole family:) A few little things happened that stressed me out a bit...first, my intitial dose of stuffing turned out bitter because I put the onions in the food processor to save time. WARNING! NEVER OVER process your onions! So after all that work I went to taste the stuffing and it was terrible! I had to start over. Ran to the foodstore at 9pm, cut up everything again and made it once more...for 17 people. Ahhh yes, fun times. THEN! I decided to make a spice cake (from Rachel Ray's mag) and a vanilla chocolate cake, for desserts. I was inspired by all the suggestions...thanks guys! So I made the first cake and it was great, but I thought to myself wouldn't it be fantastic to make it with Splenda so my dad the diabetic can eat some...uhmmm yeh...DO NOT COOK WITH SPLENDA IN A CAKE! It doesn't rise the same and is super mushy...I would go with the half splenda/ half sugar thing... SO I had to make it three times. But that was it for the issues.

The rest just flowed and of course, Ken's mom and sister did not fail to impress. His mom made the most incredible pumpkin pie I've ever had, along with a cheesecake to die for and some cookies I swear people were stashing to save for themselves! His sister presented an amazing chocolate chip torte, more like everything bad for you in a plate. it was all really incredible. I forced myself to throw away the last slice of cheesecake last night because I knew I would crave it like I am right this second. Damn it! WHY WHY WHY did I throw that away...it would be so good when I get home! ugh!

But anyway, A good time was had by all:)

Dessert...

2006-11-20T15:44:00.000-05:00

I'm a HUGE dessert person! I live for chocolate...in any form. I crave cake at all times. This is a recent development though...until about 5 months ago, I mostly craved chocolate products, but lately it's been stuff like, vanilla cake with vanilla frosting with tiny colored chips in it. (you know the kind I'm talking about right? The stuff in the can that we used to eat on cupcakes!) Anyway, so I'm now trying to think up creative dessert options for Thanksgiving, that's not apple pie, pumpkin pie or any of the "standard," but still fabulous options. Rather, I'd like some kind of cake! Some kind of fluffy, moist and sweet conction of everything good. I know you know what I'm talking about.

So far I found a ginger spice cake...not sure if it's gonna cut it. My future mother-in-law and sister-in-law are super bakers. Mom's a seasoned pro with a serious reputation so I know I can't compare in the pie department. Sister is a dessert hobbiest. This is what she does for fun...so you know she's super creative and is not afraid to load on the butter...I'm so screwed:) And my fiance is a loyal follower of mom's baking. He's open to new things,but still never fails to mention how incredible mom's baking is. So here I am...I need a good recipe ASAP! I really want to wow them with my baking talent. This is kind of big. The whole family is going to be there!

Anyone have any ideas? Tonight I'm going to go through my cookbooks and my magazines...I seriously hope they have something for me:)

And I feel better

2006-11-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

I feel better because I had a weekend full of quality time combined with fun activities, great purchases and serious cuddling. I know I know, it sounds so mushy,but it was wonderful to just lie there and snuggle a bit. Started the weekend off with a wonderful date at the Turkish Kitchen, followed by some great time spent on the couch catching up on episodes of Grey's Anatomy and LOST. OH! We tried PinkBerry as well...I have to say it's good stuff. I was a little worried about it. I'd heard it was kind of sour,kind of like the stuff at 40 Carrots in Bloomies (which I hate!). BUT it wasn't like that at all! It was tangy but sweet enough,but not too sweet. I say try it for yourself and see what you think.

The rest of the weekend was filled with shopping. We tried desperately to pick out a china pattern. We started at Bloomingdales...two hours later...NOTHING! THen we moved to Michael C. Fina, where they have EVERYTHING! We spent another 2 hours there, only to narrow down our search to 4 settings. After that we had to stop...not because we were done for the night, but because they were closing the store. Yes, very sad,but very funny! I think this whole process is hillarious! Seriously, We have to pick a pattern that we're going to not use till we have a house, so like in 6 years, one that we'll like then, and something that we will still like when we're 50...what are the chances of that!? I mean, if it was Herend, we'd be fine, but being that a 5 peice setting is around $1100, we have to find something a little cheaper. Not to mention my mother has enough of it for a small army...So what happens? We find somethings we like...they are also on the more expensive side. But the thing is, we don't just want to get white plates with platinum trim, because we want something more formal. So we have to both find a pattern we like and think we will like years from now. Such a process! After a long day of pattern shopping we headed out for some fantastic Sushi and some drinks. We actually went back to FLute...a place we went after our first date. I love that place. It's the kind of place I'd host a party at, with champagne coctails flowing and great lighing! If I have anything to celebrate in the next year, that's not my wedding...I am so hosting a party there!

Finally, Sunday we took a drive out to the Short HIlls Mall. It's so nice to just walk around a mall sometimes, you know? The temperature is regulated, it's not raining, and they have everything! We ate dinner out at a great little family restaurant in Summit and then came back into the city to spend the rest of the night vegging. It really was a great weekend. I need this so bad after last week!

AND...there were no dead mice when i walked into my apt...just a very happy little Oscar:) Hopefully I've caught them all...well, for now at least! Damn mice!

Sometimes everything just feels like it's so tough to do, right?

2006-11-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

I mean it's not like I'm sick or have any major injuries...I just feel like it's hard to walk up a flight of stairs! Ok, I'll start over...I'm sore...very sore. I feel like every step I have to take requires 75% of my energy and that's just way to much to give to take one step. Yes, it's completely my fault for pushing my body to places it hasn't been since I was 17, but come on!

THEN! work is pretty crazy, because I was gone for 3 days and we all know what happens when you leave work...the world actually doesn't stop working, and so you have to catch up to all the bullshit that has been put into play while you were gone. And then throw in some Jury duty and you're left with a big pile of crap. Oh wait, that's right...I got up at the ass crack of dawn this morning, schlepped my butt down to the court house only to have them tell me that court was closed today and tomorrow so I'd have to reschedule...what the hell is that all about!? I reallize many people might be happy about this, but this is my 3rd time heading down there to try to serve...and now I had to postpone again till January! BOOOOOOOO!

So here I am, now feeling guilty because I dropped my dog off this morning with the sitter and didn't go back for him even though jury duty was cancelled, because I just need a break from walking. I am super tired already and it's only 10:30am, I have no clean clothing because I haven't done laundry in about 3 weeks, my apartment is being taken over by mice, yes you heard me...mice.I think there are about 5 of them currently running around shitting everywhere and there's nothing I can do about it because I have a little dog that LOVES glue traps and will def get his nose chopped off in an old school trap. So I think I'm running away for the night. I really think I might head out to jersey for the night to just escape what has become my current living situation.

And then finding a new apartment for Ken and I to live in is turning out to be tougher than I had tried to delude myself into believing it would be. I always knew it wouldn't be an easy process, having been through the coop purchase before, but I just kind of forgot about how bad it really was and started to think about things like couches and wall colors. Now, as I look at apartments and immediately jump to the mortgage calculator, the whole thing has just lost its luster. It's like I don't care what anything looks like, as long as it has counter space in the kitchen and a big ass closet for all my stuff...and is pet friendly. Let me just say, if you have a dog, DO NOT GET EXCITED about apartment hunting. People! You'll find your dream apartment and then they'll tell you they only take cats. Lovely.

I realize this post is not filled with wedding planning happiness, but this week just feels insane to me. I saw ken last night after not seeing him since sunday night. He's had a hellish week as well...working till 4am and just not having a life outside of work all week. And then as soon as we have some time to just sit and chill, someone calls wanting something or a favor has to be done or I haven't called my mom in 2 days and I'm just waiting for the calls of guilt to come.

So let's hope this weekend is full of fun things and some down time.

Another great weekend and hopefully many more to come!

2006-10-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend started very well! On Friday afternoon my mom joined me in the city to go wedding dress shopping...again. This is the 4th time I've been "dress shopping," and even though it can be fun, mostly it's just exhausting and fuels more confusion. Which style is better? will my stomach look big? Do I need a sash? WHY AM I WEARING A WHITE DRESS?!!!! But this friday, we went down to Saeyoung Vu, a small shop down on Mulberry and Spring streets. I picked my bridesmaid dresses from here, but never really looked at their bridal collection, until a stunning dress caught my eye in this months Martha Stewart Weddings and to my surprise (thanks to great PR efforts on their part) it was a Saeyoung Vu dress!

I tried on 4 dresses and 2 of them were fantastic! Problem...they were both so different, but so fabulous and I couldn't choose. So what does a girl do when a problem like this presents itself... She buys both! So I'm very excited to say that I now have 2 gorgeous wedding dresses! One for the ceremony, it's stunning white and flowy and very goddess-like, and another for the party, very old hollywood and sexy...perfect for a fabulous reception! My mom said it best to the sales girl..."My family is insane!" But in the end, she agreed this was the best thing to do.

From there we headed out to Jersey to get ready for the Hunt! I'm sure some of you are familiar with the hunt, but for those of you who have NO idea, this is a day long event, consisting of horse racing and ultimately raising a considerable amount of money for a medical center. It's a blast and people plan for a full year. Basically, you get up early, put on your "hunt like clothing," and head out to the fields for drinking and eating. This year, the sun decided to come out about an hour after we got there and after a while, you didn't even notice the knee high mudd...it was simply wonderful!

After the Hunt, we drove back into the city to get ready for a night of Halloween parties! I have to say, I really thought I was going to want to just sleep, but instead I got all dresses up as a sexy devil and Ken as a Priest. It was a very fun night of awesome costumes, lot's of drinks and fun people. Halloween in the city can be super fun or really suck and this year was great! Oh...on a side note, Halloween is such a liberating day for women...seriously, all those inner yearnings to get all whored out and show the world your "goods" just bubble to the surface and the city is just bursting with hot girls! I never see so many hot ladies as I do on Halloween! Good job women of NYC!

Sunday morning was perfect. Made breakfast...my first attempt to actuallu make bacon on a skillet...yuck! what a mess! I prefer the microwave kind...no mess. But, Ken and I ate a nice breakfast together, read the paper, cirlced open houses, laid in bed, showered and then finally decided to go look at apartments. We saw some interesting places...the thing is, ALL NYC apartments have something wrong with them. If they are big with great closets, then the bathroom is tiny and there's NO kitchen. If they have awesome kitchens, then the bedrooms are tiny...ALways something! We did see this amazing 2 bedroom on 35th and lex...seriosly HUGE apt, great price, but needs work...a lot of work. I don't know, it's really tough to try to plan your life for the next 5-10 years around moving. I feel like we want to find a place where we can somehow start a family in the next 3 years and not be on top of each other every second we're home. This is tough in New York no matter how much money you have, because if you can afford a million dollar apt, then why not a $1.5 million dollar one...and then why not $2? It always seems as though the next step isn't that far away, but it actually really is...

ok, so that was the wonderful weekend...to some it might sound tiring, but to me it was one of the best:)

Tomorrow we're off to Budapest for 4 days! Can't wait!

We've checked off everything on the 9-12 month part...

2006-10-26T11:08:00.000-04:00

Of the wedding checklist, that is. I'm very proud of us and super excited! I'm pretty sure we've made a decision on music, which was what we thought was going to be the toughest thing to do. Turns out we met with two great companies and we decided to go with the first one. We're going with a dj/band concept and these guys are incredible! This wedding is going to be one rockin party!

We also received our decor proposal and wow...amazing. I could actually see the entire wedding unfolding before my eyes and I started to get very excited! There's so much going on with seating, lot's of different types of tables, lounges, pillows...it's just so cool. The food is amazing and the flowers...uhmmm...let's just say it's very zen, but with a bang. Now we just have to pick our wedding cake, which you know what...as much as I thought this process was going to be painful, I bet it's going to be one of the most fun. Can we say TASTING!!! Trying to decide between chocolate and hazelnut and buttercream and ganache...well...there could be harder decisions in life:)

So back to the checklist. So far:
-picked the venue
-picked the food
-picked the music
-picked the decor (flowers, tables, settings...)
-picked the bridal party and their dresses
-down to 2 wedding dresses (ok, so that's not done, but damn close to it!)
-narrowed the honeymoon choices
-discussed transportation
-discussed invites and save the dates
-down to a few photographers

I think we're in good shape! I mean, the wedding isn't till NEXT October...

more to come as always...

Fried Chicken, fried Shrimp, fried catfish, French fries...

2006-10-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

And I could go on...and on...and on... I was in the south this weekend. When I say "the south," I am specifically talking about New Orleans, LA and Gulf Port, MS. I'd say this was a good "heart of the south" weekend.

I'm the true definition of a notherner. I really don't like fried foods, not because it doesn't taste good, but my poor stomach suffers to such an extreme level when I consume any of the above listed items, that it's just not worth it. I talk fast. "Yeuewwww Taaaalk Vieerrry faaast," as one lovely southern woman from Mississippi pointed out to me as I tried to expidite my spa tab. Yes, yes I do. I like to say what I have to say and then move on with my life...but thanks for pointing that out. I wear my hair not poofed. I do not create volume when it is not needed. I don't wear white ked sneakers. I lOVE sushi, steamed foods, tofu, Thai food and Indian food. I do NOT wear tight rolled jeans and "I love Disney world" t-shirts. Seriously, some of ths shit we saw...there are no words.

It's a different world down there,but one thing remains true...the people are as nice as can be!

Even the waitress at Waffle House was chipper and nice. Let me describe Waffle House...Imagine a McDonalds with no golden arches and waitress service. Then change all the food to waffles, sausage, eggs and other bad for you fried stuff. Then imagine the tab being something like $10 for two...and you have Waffle House. In Mississippi there's one every two miles.

We had a very interesting weekend down south. New Orleans is a great city...full of great antiques, lot's of alcohol and pretty buildings. But it's very sad to be there. I can't say I felt the same energy as I felt pre-Katrina. People are sad and talk constantly about how their lives were ruined and you can't help but feel so bad for them. They are 100% justified in how they feel. Here we are more than a year later and I'd say over 60% of the homes we saw, had people living in trailers on the front lawn! It's not pretty anymore and is lacking that incredible spark that used to light up that city.

Gulf Port...wow...there's nothing left. driving along the coast all you see are empty shells of hotels and beach resorts, beach bars and of course...waffle houses. And when I say nothing...I mean Nothing!

I started to feel numb to what I saw. You see so much devastation and after a while, those FEMA trailers start to look welcoming. I arrived back in New Orleans after a few days in Gulf Port and was like, "oh wow, it's so much better here." BUT IT'S NOT! it's just THAT bad there. I could go on and on...

ANyway, to sum it up. The South: food sucks, people are funny, they are left with nothing, but through it all they are still incredibly nice and welcoming.

A little change in topic... just because.

2006-10-11T14:41:00.000-04:00

SO I've been trying to find a great pair of flat boots for a while now...Last year I purchased a fabulous pair of very high Frye boots that I still love, but I'm looking for the flat dream boot this season.

Last weekend I ordered a nice pair of black riding style boots from JCrew...very cute, but when I got them I noticed that they are HUGE in the ankle area and calf. I'm just not sure if this is the look I'm going for. I'm not exactly equestrian anymore...Maybe when I wasd 13, but at 26 I consider myself a little more chic. Although, they are very pretty boots and I've seen women on the street who can really pull this horse look off well!

So then I went searching and I found these two boots that I now have a huge crush on! This always happens to me! WHy why why do I go looking!!! I should know by now that if I start searching I'll inevitably end up at Saks or Barneys, and that is BAD.

Anyway, these are sexy, stunning, comforting and just so pretty all in one.
These are both Bottega Veneta and I might just have to go try them on this weekend...ugh...so bad!

WE FOUND IT!!!!

2006-10-04T16:18:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to announce that we have found a venue for our wedding!!! We will be getting married and having a fabulous reception at...wait for it...wait for it...The W Hotel on 49th and Lexington!

I knew the moment I walked in today, and felt it so strong as I walked through all the rooms. I even like the color of their carpeting! I love the chocolate brown leather chairs, the awesome lounge furniture, the grass everywhere, the bamboo in the hallways and smell in the air. It is exactly what I had imagined. It's sexy, chic and warm all at the same time:)

And...it's in the city, making it so easy for my bridal party and family to move around for pictures! It also makes life easy for people who live in the city, which is about 30% of our guests...and the rest of the people can stay at the W if they'd like to go home to Jersey, which is where most of them are from.

I had so much running through my head as I sat there and spoke to Jill, the fabulous in house event person. Shawn was also spitting out idea after idea and we were just going with it! SO MUCH FUN!

Now, we just have to finalize the food and do a tasting and we'll be all set with the very important stuff...oh wait, hmmm...rrrright...everything is important! hehehe whatever, it'll get done and be great!

Today was a very positive day all around. Found a place for my wedding, picked up some new clients...good day, good day.

back in the running

2006-10-02T15:35:00.000-04:00

West side Loft is back in the running...how? I don't know, but it is...hey, they had really pretty light fixtures, that's gotta be worth something right?

WIll keep you posted...

Engagement parties are very fun!

2006-10-02T14:19:00.000-04:00

This past saturday we celebrated our engagement with ALL of our family members...It might as well have been a small wedding, because there were a lot of people there all wanting to take pictures and say hi and congratulate us! We had a blast:)

It's simply amazing to me how well our families get along. There was so much happiness and positive energy in the room, you could feel it! We saw family friends that flew in from out west, family that we NEVER see on a normal basis and hung out with family that we love to see all the time...It's so hard to explain, but it felt so good.

Ken and I were running around all night talking to people about how we met, our wedding that is SLOWLY taking shape, our lives and our plans for the future. I was exhausted by the end of the night and I didn't have a single drink and barely ate something...IF this is any sign of what the wedding will be like, damn! I better get a burger before I put my dress on and have a few shots! THIS is why i want to have an after-party...so I can take off my dress, slip into something very cute and dance, drink and get a little nutty!

By the time we got home and the remaining guest left our house after late night, we were beyong tired...but not too tired to open presents!!! We got some amazing gifts, which is so surprising to me, because we were not expecting gifts for our engagement! But we got such nice things off our registry and people were very generous. It was so sad to leave all of our nice new stuff at home, but we'll see it again soon:)

I could always visualize our lives together, that was never a problem, but NOW I can fully see it! I just can't wait to find our apt and to get married and just start our lives together...I mean, we basically don't exist without each other on a daily basis...only when we go back to our own apts...which is sad because I like a good night kiss...Soon enough we'll be decorating our apt and "taking up too much of the bed." But now I'm more pumped than ever before:)

Taking a step back.

2006-09-25T12:02:00.000-04:00

Weddings are expensive. I don't know who in Manhattan has decided they are GOD and has set this incredibly high pricetag on anything and everything that has to do with weddings,but I'm pissed off and fed up... and sad.

For the past two weeks Ken and I have been running around the city looking at some great loft spaces for our wedding. We found a few that we really loved and started to actually have a vision for our wedding. Saturday morning we got the budgets...Each venue had it's budget under it and we could see and compare all the numbers. They were all insane! I'm talking at the end of the day way over $100k and this is not even the best...this is, "well, we wanted a loft space and this is the cheapest we can do it for..." uhmmmm no.

Then my parents of course call and are flipping out about how they can't believe this and what the hell is going on?! AND the thing is...they're right. They are 100% right and I can't argue with them. This is their money and I don't feel right about it.

So here we are again...back to square one with no venue and now, no vision. I don't know what I want anymore...At this point I'm thinking an empty beach on an island...

Who is this wedding about? Who is it for? Do I really want to have a $100k party so that my friends can get drunk and dance...? Don't they do that on the weekend anyway?
Is this about my parents and their friends? Is it so grandma can have some cake? I'm so confused and discouraged by this whole ordeal. It's very emotionally taxing and there are so many high's and low's that I wonder if it's all worth it? Isn't this about us getting married???? Where did that whole idea go?

The next couple weeks should be interesting. We are starting over and trying to figure out what we want and what works. Hopefully I'll have better news next time:)

Two more off the list!

2006-09-21T10:46:00.000-04:00

Last night we looked at a couple more venues...Manhattan Penthouse and Westside Loft. I can say with full confindence that I will not be getting married at the Manhattan Penthouse! Westside Loft, well, it wasn't awful, just not what I picture when I see my wedding in my head. But, I could work with it if forced!

Manhattan Penthouse is what I would call a wedding factory in the city, with a view. You can almost feel all the tacky weddings that were held there as you walk through the space. Lot's of cake feeding and and posing in front of poorly lit windows and corners...tables circling a small dance floor with lot's of poofy napkins...It was everything I DIDN'T want to imagine. ANd then I saw the "album." Every venue has these albums of pictures from past events, so that you can try to visualize the space...thank you very much, but I can do that without having to see some ghetto ass wedding pictures from 1988! These pictures were so bad I felt sorry for the guy showing them to us. We didn't ask questions. I sat down so I could take a rest and because I desperately had to pee! And then we left.

Westside Loft is a little better just because the staff is cool and the space is well, Lofty. But it's a low level loft so there's no view at all and one side of the loft actually faces a wall! It has potential, but in the end it's a rectangular shaped room with very limited set-ups...and my vision calls for more of a circular venue...But it did have very pretty light fixtures and the bathrooms were decent enough...these are all things I have to take into consideration...

So as of right now we're leaning towards Peter White and Tribeca Rooftop. Tomorrow we are seeing Metropolitan Pavillion, Top Floor of the Puck Building and Prince George Ballroom...We will make a final decision tomorrow night after all the site visits are completed. I can't wait to finally have a place!!!! AHHHH!!! SO exciting!

Tribeca Rooftop

2006-09-19T11:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was another venue viewing night...We hit the Hudson Theatre first...in the heart of Broadway...big no no. The place is very interesting and has a great history. It was the original home of the Tonight Show and was also the first theatre to be owned by a woman, but all that wasn't enough for me to want to have my wedding there. It's a theatre...you get married on a stage, you dance on a stage, you cut the cake in the "Queens box." Definitely not for me or my fiance.

I have a hard enough time just thinking about everyone watching me walk down the aisle and then having to say my vows in front of all those people, but to then do it on a freakin stage! Oh HELL NO!

Next we went to Tribeca Rooftop. Incredible views from the huge roofdeck, stunning windows and views from the entire venue...seriously the place is perfect. It even has a very nice carpeting that makes it much easier for the ladies to stay on their feet all night in heels! The dance floor is also perfect! The catch...it's expensive. VERY expensive...way out of budget. The cool thing is they have lounge furniture there so we wouldn't have to bring it all in from a prop place so that saves costs...I just don't know. This gets harder and harder each day.

We are looking at Manhattan Penthouse and Westside Loft tomorrow. I hear they are both strong options for us and might not be as crazy $$$!!!!!

I'm trying very hard to stick to my guns on this budget, but it's so hard to when there are so many little parts that go into a wedding...This is all only about the venue and food!!! The rest is still to come!

And the world keeps turning...

2006-09-14T12:45:00.000-04:00

I've lost touch with what's going on in this city, and I'm only reminded every couple hours by phone calls and emails from editors and jewelry designers asking if I have tickets for shows, what shows are we doing, and my favorite...can you use some of my stuff in your shows??? And to all of them I answer NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!!! And I do it with a huge freakin smile on my face! It's fabulous!

It's funny, because when I first started working with fashion week, I was thrilled! I thought it was so cool to get dressed up and go to the tents and wander around, pushing the limits to how far in I could get before someone realized I had no money
and I was a lowly PR assistant just trying to fit in. I was so excited by the models, editors, celebrities...giftbags! What the hell was wrong with me! My first fashion show was the Baby Phat show, when baby phat was THE show to go to, and I actually sat front row next to Beyonce and thought I was very chic and cool...Oh wow...again, what was wrong with me! I had no place being there, because these shows are meant for editors and buyers!!!

I did a few shows last season (I can only remember as far back as last season,but I've done so many over the past 3 years it's really just insane) The first two went smoothly, probably because we had tons of help from other amazing PR people,but the last one and smallest one was the most difficult because everyone in their mother wanted a seat! Seriously, just because you sponsored the hair ties that are being used in the show, doesn't mean that The Daily editor must now sit second row...STANDING ROOM ONLY!...This is the shit I can't deal with. Also, the "friends of the designer." I mean, really...If you are that good friends, just go to the showroom and check out the collection. That's what this is all about! THE COLLECTION!

Anyway, all week I've been so calm and relaxed and except for the few emails and calls from friends mentioning tickets for shows, the flip over the Full Frontal Fashion network, and then streams of people exiting the Marc Jacobs show right next to my apt, but overall it's been smooth sailing. ONE MORE DAY and they all leave for Europe! well, there's coterie first... I hate to sound so just turned off by fashion week, but the thing is for those on the outside, it's cool, fun, chic, sexy, exciting...For those on the inside, it's a time of pure exhaustion, no sleep, no glamour, tired and hurting feet, low tolerance for stupidity and a craving so huge for a slice of chocolate cake and a comfy bed! I swear in this case, ignorance is total bliss! I was on the subway yesterday afternoon and there were two younger editors heading downtown for a show, coming from the tents, and they looked so sad...and I felt their pain and just wanted to invite them over for some coffee, but I knew they had no choice. This is their job and they have to hit check in table after check in table, hoping they get a seat, because, "SO and so's aunt's cousin's nanny, " needs a seat.

So now that I've gotten that off my back...we can discuss wedding stuff!
We looked at our first venue last night...Peter White Studios.
It was so cool! Views of the statue of Liberty, the Verazano bridge in one direction and then the skyline and the water in the other direction. the windows are incredible and the space can be made into anything we imagine! Take a look at the site...it's just fantastic!
We have a bunch of appointments lined up over the next coupld weeks, so I'll def keep posting the different venues.

The joys of registering...

2006-09-11T16:42:00.000-04:00

Again I had a vision...me with the "gun" him with the list of must have items for every new bride and groom...and we're off! We hit the ground running full force to an easy section of the store, well...easy because we had done a little private run through the weekend before and had already agreed on it...the flat ware! So there we are staring. SO EXCITED to scan away, but there's no barcode...So in a panic we both run back to the counter and the guys like, "just type in the #'s." BUT THAT'S NOT USING THE SCANNER>>>THAT'S THE FUN PART! oh well...we did it. Our first items were our flat ware...super.

We spent the next 3 hours scanning away, compromising, insisting, sometimes starting at each other like we were nuts! He couldn't understand why I didn't want to register for a cast iron skillet...well, because I'll never use it because it's heavy and I have all that other damn non-stick stuff! I thought he was nuts for suggesting we get .65 chopstick holders...you know...pretty standard. hehehe:) But we did it. We had fun, got a little tired and learned a lot about who likes what gadget in the kitchen.

Then we went over to Bloomingdales. See, you think you're getting a gun...you're not! Such a sham! Crazy lady Janice with terrible lipstick and a god awful black suit was "our wedding aid." uhmmmm...she sucked. She talked to much and I was already dying to get started and she just kept talking and talking and bullshitting...enough already!

FINALLY, we started the process. The first item we registered for was a blender... I mean, we don't really need a blender, but because we got margarita glasses at Crate & barrel, we now need a blender. Finally, it got to be too much and we called it a day, saying we'd back back on Sunday. We had a fabulous engagement party to attend that night and we had to rest up!

I'm happy to say the party was wonderful! So many great friends came out to toast us...it felt so good:) My incredible hangover the next day wasn't so awesome, but we had work to do...finish registering! whoo hoo!

It was another long day,but we made it through Bloomies. We got sheets and pillows...
Then we went to Michael C. FIna to pick a China pattern. This is where we came to a hault. We were too tired and grumpy and hungry...there was no way I could even look at that stuff anymore! So we have to go back...another day of registering. Can't wait!

Not gonna lie though...most of the process is very fun! Just eat and drink and get a good night sleep before and you're all set!

Wedding planner #3-Francesca

2006-09-05T13:19:00.000-04:00

We met Francesca alllll the way downtown on Broad street in a Starbucks. She was very nice and super smart on the topic of wedding planning. We walked through everything step by step and talked about venues and flowers and dresses and so on and on and on and on...seriously at one point, I was staring at her talking, but I wasn't actually hearing anything. I just squeezed Ken's hand and sat there with a slowly fading smile on my face.

It's not that I didn't like her, I just couldn't listen to her anymore! She is the perfect wedding planner for someone who likes total detail, but that's not me. I'm all about the big picture and they deal with the small stuff. I guess i always imagined my wedding planner in the room with me as I got my dress on and stuff, but you know what? I really don't care anymore. I'm 99% sure we are going with Shawn and that is fine by me! He is so fabulous and sharp! I can't wait to get started!

It's funny though...I think having a couple weeks of really just fun planning in our heads has been good for us. This weekend we didn't really do ANY planning at all. We just enjoyed being engaged and hanging out with some great friends eating and drinking outside. Being engaged is really fantastic! Everything just kind of flows and we're getting to enjoy each other on a new level.

wedding planner #2- Susan

2006-08-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

I was on such a high...seriously, after Shawn, nothing could touch me! I was so convinced that my budget was completely fine for the wedding we want to have and that of course, everyone would agree right? No. I was fine until I met Susan. I should have known when I walked into her 5th ave office that this was NOT going to be cheap. She has an amazing space, very modern, very very cool and she's an interesting lady, who has been doing this for a very long time. I thought she was a little over the top with her short short bonde hair with pink tips,but whatever, I thought she was going to be very fun to work with. I sat down and she asked the dreaded question..."what's the budget?" I wish wish wish I could've told her, $250,000 or even $150,000, but I couldn't. AND! I don't want that...That is NOT OK! It is not normal or ok to spend that much on a wedding...MY BUDGET is not normal...It's too high in my opinion, but I guess when you dive into the $77billion dollar industry that is weddings, things change a little.

Anyway, she asked, I told, she stopped. Her words were, "I wish I would have asked you that before you came here." He fees are around $25,000. Which in her opinion wouldn't leave much for my wedding and especially NOT in Manhattan. I don't believe everyone who gets married spends over $100,000 on their weddings...I just don't! COME ON!

I refuse to get married in a catering hall or ballroom of a hotel...NO way in hell, AND NOT IN JERSEY OR LONG ISLAND! I mean, if the St. Regis by some miracle decides to grant me my wish, then fine, but otherwise, no way. I made the mistake of buying NJ Weddings Magazine...wow! Can we say wedding factories! Holy crap! I'm sure they do an awesome job, but our wedding is so far from traditional that it would be wierd...

ANyway, she had some good ideas, but ultimately said she couldn't really help us, but that she really liked us and wished the best.

So it wasn't a total wash. We got one amazing idea from her and we are most likely using it, so hey, it was worth it.

One more meeting on Thursday with Francesca...She is in our budget...I asked. So we'll see, but I'm get more and more antsy to talk to Shawn again.

Wedding planner #1- Shawn

2006-08-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

We had our first person to person meeting with a wedding planner last night and it was so much fun! Up until that point I'd only spoken to them on the phone and well, it was exhausting listening to the same stuff over and over again...But Shawn has something...he's fun, funny and "got" our concept right away.

He called it Calvin Klein sleek...hehehe in a way, but not that minimalistic, but anyway, he got it. He Loved our ideas and totally felt out our personalities. We were with him for over an hour and by the time we were wrapping up we both knew it was going to be Shawn. But, we agreed to meeting with another planner this evening just to give ourselves options. I don't know how she's going to match him though...he is just so fabulous! When he started talking about turning over rooms and creating the lounge for the after party, I was sold...hehehe uhmmm and he was ALL OVER our desert ideas and was a big fan of our food choices!

Oh...and did I mention his fee is NOT $20k and he didn't look at me and my budget and say "no way." He was so positive and said it would be incredible!

LOVE SHAWN!

One Moment

2006-08-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

Ever since I was a little girl I seriously dreamt about things like, What was the man like that I'd end up marrying? Would I ever get married? What would my dress look like? My ring? will it be big or small, sparkle or be smooth? What I didn't dream about was the actual engagement, so it was an incredibly wonderful surprise when on Friday night my amazing boyfriend proposed!

We had been talking about our wedding and what we like for months but I was never quite sure when we'd actually get engaged. Friday was definitely NOT the day I thought it would finally happen...but it did!!! We were sitting on the couch sifting through about 35 open house flyers that we planned to view on sunday. I had just finished looking at the last one and mentioned going to dinner, when he said, "wouldn't it be great if we were engaged looking at these apts?" I said, "shut it...seriously, stop joking around" and went to get up and he got down on he knees. I freaked out! I didn't think he was serious until I saw the little box and his face. He was so sweet and so excited and i just got so lost in the moment that I got down on the floor with him. He asked me and I said yes and then he asked me if I wanted to see the ring? "OF COURSE!" And it was incredible! I didn't believe it was for me...it was just that beautiful.

When I finally had it on my hand I just couldn't stop staring! We had some chapagne and then called our friends and family:) He even gave me the cutest card that had everything he knew he'd forget to say, written in it. Which is amazing, because I'll have that forever and be able to relive that moment!

We then went to dinner at the Turkish Kitchen, one of our favorite places and then went home to relax Steph and ken style with a fun movie and more real estate listings:)

I didn't sleep at all that night...just kept looking at my ring and at him...knowing that this amazing man sleeping next to me was the person I was going to marry and he loves me so much. I've never had a safer more comforting feeling. He is everything and more that I could have ever dreamed of and loves me so much. That whole weekend I just couldn't believe that I was so lucky! How do things like this happen?

I was talking to someone the other day about lucky people and people who just get shit on all the time. I want to know what it is that makes some people so lucky and others so not. Is it karma? Is it destiny? Sometimes I feel so guilty because my life is so blessed and so lucky. I know that I won't take it for granted ever! Good things happen all the time and it's amazing to just be able to step back and see it all play out. When I got engaged it was like the begining of a totally new journey! I'm going to have a husband!!! It's insane! I'm going to have a new last name and have kids! How crazy is that! I mean, not for a while,but still...

Anyway, let's just say friday was one of the best days of my life! And now there's the wedding...A wedding used to be easy and a celebration of a new life together...this is 2006 and the average wedding in NYC costs $70,000...that's on the low side...I have no words. I actually had a wedding planner hang up on me today because my budget is too low and her fee alone is $20,000...Bitch. hehehe

So from now on, most of my posts will be wedding related. Fashion week will come and go, but my wedding will still be in planning phase:) wish me luck and if you have any fabulous suggestions or tips, I'd love to hear them!!!!

To Tweeze or Not to Tweeze...

2006-08-17T13:39:00.000-04:00

This morning in my rush to absorb as much of the NY Times as I could I came across an article that poses an interesting question. Granted the article about Singapore being the new haven for stem cell research, is much more newsworthy, but I've decided to go with the one that touches upon a topic a little closer to our hearts at the moment...our eyebrows.

I love how the media and fashion world declare every start of fall season, Thicker is Better! But then what do you see on all the magazine covers and in real life? You see normal eyebrows! None of this bushy shit! Seriously, if I wanted to look like Groucho Marx I'd let them grow, but why would i want that?

I've seen girls with those brows...they are not cute. I don't care how trendy you think you are...it's not cute! It's like wearing socks with sandals or heels to an outdoor grassy event...it's not cute and it looks bad and out of place and even though you're sitting there thinking, "wow, I'm getting so much attention and people think I'm so cool," they're really not thinking that...

So then I ask myself, wow, someone really wants ladies to have these bushy brows because there's a full page article in the NY Times about it and how great it is...What sick PR firm did this? ANd what insane editor thought, "Sure, I'll write about thick eyebrows today." Seriously, I don't get it. Ok so now there are products that can make your brows grow faster and stronger... But I have to go back to the question, WHY WOULD YOU WANT THAT!!!!?

I realize this isn't an earth shattering topic, but I keep seeing this season after season and it makes me crazy because it makes me think we've lost all sense of creativity...

A Treat:)

2006-08-15T11:52:00.000-04:00

I've noticed over the past year that my clothing buying habits have hit an all time low. It's not that I dont' buy stuff, I just seem to be buying crap. Old Navy, H&M, Target...these have become my staple stores because I don't dress too formal for work and it's cheap and easy...a sort of disposable clothing. I wear it for a while and then I chuck it...and I don't feel bad because it was so incredibly cheap! But what has happened is that I look pretty shabby chic. (side not: these stores are great for basics and fun shirts to wear out) There's a limit to how many beaters you can have from Old Navy... So this past saturday I went on a little bit of a shopping spree.

It was amazing how everything fit so well and just felt so nice! Eli Tahari! DKNY! Dana Buchman! Ralph Lauren! Classic designers who design for a real good fit. None of this marc Jacobs stuff that fits a stick and costs a fortune! I was in heaven! Dana Buchman actually makes a button down that fits big boobs! SHOCKING! Whenever I attempt to buy a button down at ANY of those stores I mentioned I end up with one boob hanging out and things being squeezed that just shouldn't be.

Before I knew it I had piles of clothing that I couldn't leave behind! New fall jackets and sweaters. Skirts and shirts! It was just so overwhelming! As was the charge to my credit card, but you know what...it was worth it. I can feel the difference!

I have to say I was very pleased with the fall collections. After the crap many designers put forth for spring summer, it was a nice surprise! Well, maybe I'm just a little biased...fall IS my favorite season!

What was it like before cell phones?

2006-08-15T11:28:00.000-04:00

So it seems this is the year when things are going to happen that I never thought would happen to me...First my hard drive fails and now this...I lost my cell phone. My very pretty light pink Razr, the core of my contacts, my line of communication...GONE, ALong with every contact I had in there, because well...I don't write things down...This wasn't supposed to happen to me! I hear of people dropping phone in toilets all the time. Having phones stolen out of bags, people leaving them in public places...I don't do that! Rrrrright. Well, until last thursday when my phone disapeared. Now, I can't be certain that it wasn't stolen, but at this point I'm taking responsiblity and just saying I lost it. So there I was for 5 day without my phone and you know what? It was amazing! Just not hearing it ring was incredible! I still kept in touch with people through my blackberry, but no cell phone!

Then I forgot my blackberry in NJ at a party. Sunday night...no phone, no blackberry. I was completely without communication tools...it was even better! no buzzing every 10 min with clients asking questions, no spam! I think my stress level dopped 10 points!

So here I am on tuesday morning...my phone is back as is my Blackberry and things are getting back to normal, but I'm so aware of their presence now. I think everyone should take a day or two and just shut down. No phones, no blackberries, no computers...just forget about everyone and everything ELSE you could be doing or should be talking to and just enjoy the moment:)

An Old Favorite...How Could I Forget!

2006-08-10T23:01:00.000-04:00

I had dinner tonight at an old favorite that I haven't been to in I'd say, over a year! SON CUBANO!!!! What a wonderful meal with tasty dishes, great music and a good vibe. There's really not much on the menu not to like...the Tapitas are fabulous! We had goat cheese and hazelnut fritters, croquetas de queso, which were just incredible! Pastelitos de picadillo, puffed pastry with spiced meat inside...absolutely fantastic! The list is extensive and everything looks so delicious!
For my main course I had the Palomilla, thinly pounded sirloin steak covered with caramelized onions served with steamed white rice. This was so tender and really hit the spot.
The crowd was very fun, with well dressed women sipping lovely drinks or dancing between tables...it was a very fun evening and if you haven't been yet or haven't been in a while...GO! You'll be happy you did:)

Scent of a woman...

2006-08-01T14:04:00.000-04:00

So here we are in the middle of another heat wave in Manhattan...I'm talking 100+ degrees and some women still walk around WITHOUT deodorant on! For the love of god people! I took the subway 3 times yesterday (this is a lot for me... I usually take it once a day) and each time I was standing near a WOMAN who stank! Not even just a little smelly mixing with perfume, but full on BO... So this morning when I was reading the post one of the first articles I noticed was on just this topic...deodorant. Thank you NY Post for making light of this and to all you sweaty stinky ladies out there...please please please take care of that problem, because yes, it is a problem!

The Post had some good suggestions which I will list, but I also have a few additions to the list.

1. Mitchum for women clear gel- I've never used this, but it was a high scorer on the Post list...I'll probably try this.

2. SURE solid unscented- this is what I currently use and really like. it's cheap and keeps me dry. Seriously nothing fancy. And in my opinion there's nothing worse that smelling like cheap baby powder and sweat so stay away for ALL powder scented sticks! YUCK! I used to and still have a rule about deodorant when borrowing an item of clothing...ONLY use unscented and must use a perfume I like...otherwise we're a no go.

3.Degree ultra clear- Also scored high on the list...I guess it really kicks in when you need it.

4.Kiehls- This stuff is great! It's smooth and stays on and doesn't dry the shit out of your skin. I know guys who use this and girls so give it a go.

5.Lady Speed Stick- NO!

6.Dove Ultimate clear- hmmm I tried this...I liked how it made my skin feel,but I was a sweaty mess after a spin class at 6pm...did not hold up. The post kind of said the same thing...

7. Ban- Oh dear god...I used this for a while and my clothing would just start to smell! I wil never go back to BAN...

Anyway, I'm sure everyone is different in "that" department, so go with what works but seriously, stay away from powder scent and if a spray is what works for you or a crystal or whatever...JUST USE IT NOW! Have mercy on those around you on the subway! :)

Fall is on its way...I love fall!

2006-07-27T14:08:00.000-04:00

As Fall items officially dropped on retail floors a couple days ago, yes, July 25th (although walking through bloomies on sunday felt like Thanksgiving) I'm very excited to share some choice items that I'm completely in love with for fall and now have to figure out how I'm going to get my hands on some of them!!!!

These adorable Brian Atwoods are just stunning! That red is perfection and I can already see them on my feet! How much fun would it be to throw those on with a short little black dress with a bubble bottom!!!? I think I would walk down the street just looking at my feet, which is not very elegant, but who cares!!! LOOK AT THEM! ($510)

What can I say about these Christian Laboutin pumps...wow! The chocolate suede just screams touch me and the red sole can really just make an outfit...You think I'm crazy right? well no...because say you are wearing a perfectly fit Akris pencil skirt with a stunning crisp white Thomas Pink button down, with a sexy high waisted belt...and then those shoes! How adorable is that as you run to catch a cab showing off your very sexy soles! I just think it makes the shoe...otherwise, it's just a platform, and well...then just go to Steve Madden. I saw he's making a copy of these already too...so if you can't spend the $770 on these, Steve prbably has them for like $80!!!

This Carlos Falchi Croc skin bag is glorious in the picture,but 100 times more incredible in person! It has a classic shape and is easy to carry. Ok, let's be serious here, this bag costs around $5000 so I'm not going to be sprinting to my nearest SAKS to buy it, but a girl can dream right?! ANd these days smaller bag companies are modifying and perfecting croco-like leathers to perfection for as cheap as $150!!! I'm just bowing to Mr. Falchi...you are a master of your craft!

These Giuseppe Zanotti wedges are more than fabulous...they're super fabulous! I personally could NEVER walk in them, but I know people who could! How great are these!!!!!??? If these were a little but smaller in the heel they would be my shoes of the season! But, I'd top off at 6'3 in these puppies and well, that's just not going to work next to my 6'2 bf... But, I had to show you all and if you feel you can pull them off, then wear them in good health and enjoy the shit out of them!!! I'm jealous!!!!! ($495)

This very pretty Mary Margill necklace is one of the coolest I've seen from fall collections...I see alot of collections...a ton of new designers and I've pretty much know when was coming out for fall since many months back, but I hadn't seen this and I just love it. I think it sends a great message and also serves as a wonderful reminder of our strength. This is a MUST HAVE! ($650)

SO there you have a few desired items...I think they are delicious on so many levels! AND, I'm sure there will some great copies coming out very soon...thank god!

A cool Show...another reason to love New York!

2006-07-26T12:44:00.000-04:00

Yesterday is a little fuzzy when I try to think back to where my day began...The usual, get up, shower, jump in a cab to work...work all day doing a ton of stuff that usually leads to a tiny conclusion, then ran home, ran to my boot camp class at the gym, sweated my ever-expanding ass off, sprinted home, showered, jumped in a cab and arrived at my destination...the Sean Kelly Gallery on 29th between 10th and 11th.

The exibit was a side by side display of Robert Mapplethorpe and Andy Warhol's Celebrity Portraits. This is the first time these two artist have been displayed side by side, and even though it's a very quick walk-through, it is very cool to see. Andy's polaroids are very fun to examine and Robert's bigger prints all have something just so captivating about them. My favorite was most definitely the Mapplethorpe of Isabella Rossellini. She is just gorgeous! From Mick Jagger to Copote, there are so many different personalities to look at! Everything is for sale ranging from $7500 to $85,000 so if it's not all sold already, you can get some great stuff!

Following that nice little walk-through, we jumped over to Pre Post for a quick dinner. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I had the Chillean Sea bass and it was well prepared, with a sake, mushroom and pineapple sauce. It was the perfect portion as well, which I find is important these days...Usually the portion size is off and I end up feeling too full or still hungry. From there we walked a couple blocks and decided to jump in a cab home. It was another great New York evening...always something interesting to do and great places to eat with great people.

A few fun new lines to def check out!

2006-07-20T12:34:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to attend the POOL trade show yesterday. POOL is a show for Innovative designers and offers the latest in trends and development. It's really fantastic and I saw some really amazing new collections of jewelry, clothing and handbags. Below are a few lines I thought were very fun!

RXapparel- Christina Ewald is a vintage genius! She makes the most adorable and out there things from old clothing! She had a sweater there with CareBear printed sleaves...it was just that cute. But she doesn't just do the "cute" type...she also designs for numerous well known bands and rockers. She is admired for her rough constructions and great color choices. I absolutely LOVED it! check her out at www.rxapparel.com

Mimi Turner- Mimi might already be well known in the fashion world, but she has a wonderful way of keeping it real. She's this fabulous Cuban chic who makes incredible clothing that flatters the female form. AND her color choices are perfect. She can really pick shades that flatter most women, while staying with the seasons choice pantone scheme... www.mimiturner.com

CO.KEE Studio- This brand is just great. These two guys from LA started this very funny clothing line of Tshirts and tanks with some damn funny definitions. For example: RED STATE (hart-land)n. 1. Vast non-coastal area of USA whur all them people's still Jesus in thur hearts. See also God's Country.
I seriously almost peed my pants! Oh wait, another one...
Soap Star (Sha-lo)n. 1. Relatively unknown, unappreciated actor. 2 Huge superstar in easter Europe. See also Job Security.
hahaha I LOVE IT! there are so many more. www.cokeestudio.com

Shalgo- awesome line of ipod holders, wallets and other fun stuff made totally out of duct tape... www.shalgo.com

Jacqui Chazen Designs: uhmmm just cool. Buttery soft leather in belts, watch bands that wrap around, and braided hair bands...really pretty and look good on everyone! www.jacquichazendesigns.com

There were so many more that I could write about...and I might, just not right now. Enjoy!!!

ONE VERY COOL CHEF!

2006-07-13T16:37:00.000-04:00

I know a lot of foodies who talk about chefs as if they are personal friends...and that's cool, some of these chefs are very talented and inspirational and really form trends. I think of all people to admire, chefs are a good choice.

You think of Mario Batali and his incredible restaurants and line of cookwear and personality and we're sucked into his world. When we watch him prepare his plates, we wish we were THAT good. Look at Anthony Bourdain...love him. He's fun, cool, can cook and opens worlds up to us that we never saw before on his show, No Reservations.

This is exactly what happened to me last night as I sat on the couch and watch Anthony introduce me to famous chef, Ferran Andria. You think you've seen a lot...nope, you think you've eaten many different types of foods...you probably have not. This chef is a revolutionary in the purest sense of the word. He goes against EVERY traditional interpretation of cooking. The idea that a crazy mess in the kitchen with steam and stuff everywhere, with people yelling and chef drilling everyone is what creative cooking is all about...it's not. What I saw was amazing! This man is a genius. He takes to back to the basic essense of food and then completely changes your perception of what is acceptable. Fried fish with cotton candy...frozen foie gras shaving with broth...carrot ginger foam, snowballs filled with strawberries...and yet it all works. He works in a lab with chemical formulas to make sure that every step is accounted for. He makes food better than you ever though it could be. His kitchen is almost silent and spotless. Every step is perfect.

His restaurant, El Bulli, located in the hill north of Barcelona might just be the toughest reservation to get in the world. The meal is a 20 course serving that challenges your senses and makes you think about food completely differently. I think I might make a reservation now so that in 5 years we can go!

I strongly encourage everyone to look this chef up and to learn more about him and what he's all about. I definately plan on it!
Oh! and watch No Reservations on the travel channel! What a great show!

Del Posto for a birthday dinner...not to shabby.

2006-07-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

Finally! Del Posto! I have never wanted to eat a restaurant so bad and have been looking forward to this meal for such a long time! When I found out we were headed to Del Posto for my birthday I was counting the days!!!

It was everything I thought it would be. The place is beautifuly designed inside to give a grand impression. There are fresh flowers, a stunning long bar to the side, stairs it seems everywhere running downstairs in the front and upstairs in the back center. There are marble topped stations that cool drinks and keep freshly prepared food warm right in the center of the seating, carts with goodies like cheese, fresh cookies and chocolate for the tasting, and my favorite...very cool floors. I absolutely noticed that first when i walked in. It has a very Vasarely feel to it and the colors are great. It create a wonderful depth to the space.

The staff was also very nice. Everyone was calm and attentive...we had a little issue with finding a salt grinder that worked, but it was pretty funny and after that nothing went wrong. For starters we ordered the anitpasta plate, which was very yum...A little parma a little cheese, some lovely olives and fresh summer squash. ALl washed down with some refreshing prosecco...perfect!

For primi we went with the choice of 3 pastas for the table. We began with a ravioli filed with short ribs, topped with butter and leeks...AMAZING! Next, we had gnocchi with wite beans and asparugus pesto...also very good. And finally we had fresh spinach pene with bolognese sauce. That pasta was outstanding...it had the perfect consistency and really compimented its sauce,which was just outstanding.

For secondi I had the duck...The best duck I've ever had. I think it beat out the duck I had at the SW steak house at the Wynn in Las Vegas, and that's hard to beat, because that really was the best meal I've ever had. It was really just fantastic! It melted in my mouth and had a wonderful sweet/salty glaze on it that really finished it off well.

For desert, I of course did the chocolate tasting. The chocolates ranged from 60% cacao, 72% to 90%!!!!! That was a really fun experience. Just tasting the different levels of cacao was interesting and very enlightening...I personally like the 72% the best. It had a creamy enough base but had a wonderful full taste. The 90% wasn't very good at all...it had a sour after taste and crumbled in my mouth...it didn't melt well at all...but it was very cool to taste. Ken had a Salzbuger Nokerl, a very yummy rasberry puff thing, with a lemon basil cream tower next to it...ALSO great! And I had laveder Chamomile tea...very smooth and settled my stomach perfectly.

The meal ended with some incredible fresh cookies and a little bag to go of fresh bread crumbs...how cute is that!!!!

After 3 1/2 hours... our meal ended. It was really just so much fun and I can't wait to go back!!!! It's not cheap, but I've definitely paid that much money at a huge group dinner where all I ate was a small meal and a half a glass of wine, while everyone else got wasted on drink after drink...THIS was soooo much more worth it!

I strongly suggest you go to Del Posto!!!

OH! And a side note!!! Ken got me a wonderful bday present!!!!! I am the proud new owner of the top of the line Ice Cream machine!!! whoo hooo! I can't wait to make fresh gelato and other fun stuff!!!!

I LOVE GREAT NEW YORK WEEKENDS!

2006-07-10T12:03:00.000-04:00

I've realized that I just ADORE this city! When I leave it for a day too long, I miss it. When I'm discussing it with other city dwellers, I get super excited to tell them about all the amazing things we have here. When I think and dream about NYC, my dreams are always filled with great images and wonderful memories. There's just no other place like NYC.

I have lived in other cities, many of them also exciting and wonderful, but there's just no getting over New York...you may think you are beat down and tired,but then you leave and it haunts you,because you will always know how incredible it is here. This is not to say that everyone is meant to live here. I know many who get cranky about the crowded streets and say New Yorker's are nasty and whatever, but when someone leaves here by choice, another moves right in to start their fantastic adventure! Some people are just not city people and need more grass, a car to drive to work everyday...that's totally acceptable,but not for me. This city gives me energy everyday! I love hearing the sirens of the fire trucks, the smell of coffee and bacon streaming from the deli in the morning...I love the craziness on the subway in the morning, well, when I'm not waiting 30 min for a train, but I just love seeing all the different types of people. I've lived here for 4 years now and it just doesn't get old. Soon I'll move from Gramercy to who know where in the city,but it will be a whole new adventure and feel I'm sure.

Anyway, this weekend was wonderful! It was a sort of birthday weekend and my two very best friends from school came up to visit. It was amazing having them here, as usual and when they left it felt terrible and I'll miss them till I see them again in August.

The weekend started with drinks at a local bar with a bunch of my friends and my boyfriends friends all meeting up. Very calm and so good to see everyone! Saturday continued in style with a spa day for 13 friends. It was so nice to relax in a steam room and sauna! It was short, but worth it! Later that night we met up on the rooftop of 230 5th ave for a little drinkin...I'm just so lucky to have great people in my life! Ken bought a bottle of champagne to start off the evening and then a bottle of vodka to keep it going:) It was just perfect sitting there over looking the empire state building and the rest of this wonderful city! It was such a great night...It was the perfect birthday.

Sunday we went to 5 points for brunch...uhmmm...I have no words...just so good. Then we moved onto a little shopping then home to watch the world cup finals!!! whooo hooo!!!! I couldn't be happier about Italy's win!!! What an incredible end to a loooooong game! I called my house to congratulate my dad and there was music and I could hear my mom in the background singing the anthem...I swear it was like New Years over there!!! SoOOOOOOOO exciting!

Then Ken and I wrapped up the perfect weekend with an early birthday present...a magnificent box of chocolates from Maison du Chocolat, some pizza and seeing the movie, Cars....super cute!

Anyway, it was a great weekend! Everything went so smoothly and I had a wonderful time!

What happens when...

2006-06-27T13:55:00.000-04:00

YOUR HARD DRIVE FAILS!

There are many things in life that mess with our heads...Men, food, doctors, body image...whatever.... but when your lifeline, your computer dies, what do you do? who do you call? It's not like you can just call you dentist and have your cavity filled or your doctor to get a prescription...this is SERIOUS! Your baby, your everything that holds everything, pictures, music, emails, letters, business documents, taxes...ALL GONE! All you passwords and cookies have to be reset, your settings and your order of documents...Seriously, besides a death or major illness, the loss of a hard drive is the worst thing in the world.

On Sunday night, my baby started flipping out...applications shutting down, wierd noises...you name it...Then it happened. The apple came up and the pinwheel started turning and nothing...silence, no movement. I started calmly restarting it and holding down the good old keys that always worked up until that moment...NOTHING. So I shut down and put it away.

The next morning I called Tekserve even before it opened by like 4 minutes and then proceeded to call every minute till someone finally answered only to get someone to tell me that i should just come in. So I went. I waited by the fishtank with all the other parents of sick laptops and computers... It was very sad. I was in a total zone...I was soaking wet, because I had walked there from my apt, not realizing it was raining because of this zone...So there I was dripping holding my baby... Finally they called my #...60. And a very nice girl proceeded to diagnose my computer. She told me the hard drive had failed. She showed me where exactly and told me it would cost $290 for a new hard drive and then $900 for data recovery. I started to tear up... my zone started to shake off and the tears came...I pulled it together enough to tell her that I had backed up most of my stuff so I wouldn't be needing the $900 service, but that the hard drive was a must.

I left defeated and sad and empty handed.

Yesterday was a bad day...bad things happen in 3's and it did to me too. I messed up a stock order, I pulled money from the wrong account, my computer died...bad day.

Luckily I have an amazing boyfriend who brought me sunflowers and cheered me up. I cooked dinner and we just relaxed together...Not gonna lie...a little sex on days like this is a wonderful thing:)

Today is a brighter day. I picked up my computer and it's feeling better and working...Tomorrow the tech guy, Ben (love ben), comes to load back on what I have saved and then the journey begins again...till it happens once more...and well, it will, but this time I will be prepared for the shock of it all.

Chinatown Brasserie

2006-06-22T12:10:00.000-04:00

Last night Ken and I finally hit up Chinatown Brasserie...I've had my eye on it for a couple weeks now, ever since I passed it heading to brunch at 5 Points (ALSO AMAZING!). It's in the old Fez spot and well, I have some funny memories of that place, so I thought why the hell not check it out.
The place is really great inside! It has a long bar to the left with some smaller tables...very easy place to meet for happy hour! And...their frozen Mai Tai was very refreshing. Our table was near the center of the dining room and our server was excellent. We ordered som Dim Sum to start...Soup dumplings and pork buns... Fantastic! And then for the main course we had the peking duck with noodles and mushrooms...also wonderful! The desert was chocolate cake, of course...I always go for the chocolate cake. Yummy and warm and served with Creme Fraiche...
Overall I'd have to say it was a great dinner! The decor is warm and welcoming with some very pretty textiles and colors(the huge curtains are an amazing orange silk with Aqua velvet bottoms) and the staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. The only downside...we spent $120 on chinese food...yep, that's right, a meal that in chinatown would have been just as incredible and would have cost us $35 at most, cost us $120...

Check it out and have a drink at the bar and maybe order some dim sum... Otherwise, head to Joe's Shanghai...:)

Today's craving...

2006-06-13T13:23:00.000-04:00

CHEESECAKE!!! I represent a company called New York New York Cheesecake and I swear they have the BEST cheesecake on earth! It's more than just creamy and sweet, it's incredible, melt-in-your mouth smooth and wonderful! Anyway, I talk about cheesecake ALL day long to editors, celeb publicists, producers...but I never actually get to sit around and eat the stuff. So today I sent my intern over to the store to grab some for the office. It really made my day!

Not to mention they just launched a Miss New york New York cheesecake contest where if you send in a pic of yourself in a bathingsuit and a note as to why you're the #1 fan of cheesecake, you could win $1000 cash...If I could do it I totally would! I mean, why the hell not!

My yesterday posted today...

2006-06-08T09:59:00.000-04:00

There's something about when it rains in this city...New Yorkers get grumpy and well drivers who come in from out of town get sloppy. Actually, I think there should be a new rule that says NO non New Yorkers can enter the island of Manhattan when it's raining. This morning I woke up, attempted to take my dog out for his morning walk, but because of the rain drops on his head he dropped his ears, gave me "that" look and bolted for the door into my building...I then showered, dropped a big ass bottle of conditioner on my foot, slipped getting out of my shower because my phone was ringing ( I never just jump out...I always wipe my feet before putting them down on the rug...I hate wet rug!) and I almost bit it big time!

I had a 10:15Am doctor's app on the UES so when I left my apt at 9:45 I thought, cool I'll just jump in a cab... Picture me in long shorts, flip flops and a sweater...not the best outfit for today!
So I'm standing there in the rain, getting soaked when huge royal blue escalade heads right for me! No blinker, nothing just coming at me! So I move back a little and to the right and it starts backing up into me!!! I'm like "what the hell?!" This idiot was actually trying to park but was 10 ft from the curb, with no blinker on! So she yells out to me, "move your fat ass!" uhmmmmmmmm... If you know me, you know I have black out moments where I just lose it...this was one of those moments. I approached the car window, got up in her face and told her, "there are many things on me that have fat, but my ass is not one of them so fuck you." i then gave her the finger and I told her to go to hell and learn how to park., and that I would call the cops for trying to hit me." I think she got scared because she drove away and didn't come back...LA LOSER! OMG can you imagine! I do not spend 4 hours a week in spin class and another 2 running, so that some dumb ass bitch in an ugly car can tell me I have a fat ass! I DON'T THINK SO! Oh and she was an out-of-towner! Seriously, there should be a law!

I made it to my doctor, spent $200 because she doesn't take ANY insurance, not that I have any, but still... got home to pick up my dog an hour later to see he pooped all over the bathroom because well, he had to go... Ran to work and here I am...Super day so far...super! it can only get better or more strange...

*** The day got better...Ended it with a great gathering of friends, wine and yummy food...Even in the rain there is hope!

Desired handbags!!!!

2006-06-01T13:54:00.001-04:00

I am in love with this designer...Begeren Catalina. These bags are really incredible and you can see just from the pics that they are very good quality. They are all made in Italy and the designs really fit your lifestyle...Prices range from $700-$1300 from what I can tell, so not too bad. The next time you are faced with "bag buying decision time" and you're face to face with a Kooba or Botkier, think of Begeren Catalina... You'll be so happy you did!

Is it a good idea or a bad idea?

2006-05-31T16:39:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months I've been debating on getting some sort of method of transportation...Since a driver will just have to wait till my budget can fit it...hehe rrrright, I thought about purchasing a vespa. Wouldn't it be so nice to just jump on my pretty vespa, place my dog in the front basket and be on my way to work in the morning and to wherever in the afternoon? But I soon realized that parking it costs $150 a month in my garage and well...no. So now after spending a weekend bike riding I'm thinking maybe a shiny new bike is in order! I came across this bike on another fabulous website called outblush.com. It's so pretty and they actually come in many different colors and styles. The Bike is called the Electra Betty Cruiser and it's just fabulous! Oh! and believe it or not, but you can find the old school back pedal breaks on some of these bikes as well! LOVED THOSE! Anyway, check them out...

I'm still not 100% about the bike thing...drivers in NYC are just not bike friendly and I would fear the messenger gang trying to take me out on my pretty pink bike...I can just see it now..."bitter messenger knocks out girl on pink bike..." And my ass would be broadcast citywide as they show me face down, ass up on the asphalt...hmmmm...not pretty.

And there you have it!

2006-05-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

I always knew that chocolate was the best thing ever...I just knew it! And here's why...not only does it taste amazing and smell heavenly, but it also makes you smarter. That's right, you heard me...it makes you SMARTER!

According to Reuters, after comsuming chocolate and then waiting 15 min "Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions," Raudenbush told Reuters. And consumption of milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time."

I love milk chocolate! I love all kinds of chocolate and my now chocolate addiction is completely validated! I must eat chocolate to stay on top of my game...

check out the article:http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/05/24/chocolate.brain.reut/index.html

The Best of Best!

2006-05-25T12:39:00.000-04:00

I just spent 3 days with an amazing group of people. They are the Players of the Marquis Jet players club...All I can say is WOW! For a company that went from two founders to a couple of friends helping, to a $400million company in 5 years with over 100 employees and offices around the country, they really know how to do it right! This was the trip to celebrate and congratulate the Best of Best within the company and I had the pleasure of attending with my very good friend Amy...a true player.

You have to realize something about these people...they are really in it for the benefit of EVERYONE involved in this business. Of course it's about money too...but I don't know of many companies that spend over $200k JUST to take their top 20 employees on an all expenses paid vacation to one of the MOST EXCLUSIVE hotels in the world and treat them like family and royalty. Most companies give out a bonus, a nice pat on the back and that's that. Marquis Jet does that too and some... This is a very special place to work and after spending 3 days with the founders and the top people, I can say with confidence that it is one of the leading companies and it would be an honor to work with them. All I can say is WOW!

Anyway, the trip was fabulous...beyond fabulous...to flying private and having a personal escort in a car to the plane door, to having a wonderful meal prepared for just you on the plane, to being able to sleep and just feel like you're still a functioning human when we arrived in the Bahamas was amazing! Everything was coordinated flawlessly...the Marquis Jet event staff is incredible!

We then ate like royalty...I've never seen so much fresh seafood in my life! And a night at NOBU was fantastic as well...loved everything!

And...the 3 spa treatments in 3 days wasn't too shabby either...I'm all massaged out! The hotel was the One and Only Ocean Club and the facilities were magnificent, the staff was the nicest I've ever experienced and the quality of everything was remarkable. I would LOVE to go back!

There's so much more to tell about...like the room, the incredible bed, the "pillow menu," the fresh chocolate covered strawberries and champagne every night, the Frette Robes, the custom havianas, the room that opened onto the water, the tub with amazing mosaic tiles for 3! SOOO much to just rave about! It just felt wonderful.

But, I'm happy to be back and seeing my boyfriend yesterday after almost 4 days apart was also wonderful! It was such a great feeling to come home to so much love...there's really nothing like it or better:)

pics will be posted soon!!!!!

How much is enough?

2006-05-19T11:32:00.000-04:00

Last night my boyfriend and I had plans with another couple, his very good friends, and we were planning on going to Park Bistro. None of had ever tried it,but always passed by it so why not... We get there...it's closed for a private party. Whatever.
So we decided to try this new restaurant Porcao Churrascaria described as:
Porcão, the famous churrascaria from Rio de Janeiro comes to New York City, serving up its legendary Amazon-size chunks of dozens of kinds of grilled meat tableside. In this 11,000-square-foot space we expect there will also be an ample salad bar with dozens of offerings and sushi as in the Rio restaurants.

It was really incredible! The massive salad bar has entire wheels of parmagiano cheese with a bowl of honey next to it, wonderful salads and even some warm starters. After you eat your salad there are these little coaster sized circles on your table that you can turn over to green to have the servers start bringing the meat or to no to stop. Very fun and interactive! LOVED IT!

That's when I ran into problems...I never turned to red...I just kept going...Fillet Mignon, prime rib, flank steak, turkey wrapped in bacon, chicken, garlic top sirloin! Seriously, amazing!
And I thought I was ok...I really did...even when we decided to have desert!!! BAD IDEA! RED FLAGS ALL AROUND! I should have stopped there!

But I didn't, I kept going...

We got up from the table and I thought I might die. Got home and was in so much agony I couldn't get air! I couldn't tell if I was going to puke or my insides were going to just start falling out of my body! I ate way too much. I was in so much pain I couldn't think...If I was on my back I couldn't get oxygen. If I was on my side, I felt like I was going to throw up, if I was on my stomach...oh that was just very bad. Has this ever happended to anyone? I mean it was insane!

The lesson I learned...Stop eating when you even START to get full...!

As for the restaurant...it was great! So much fun and I love all the activity. The meat was great, the wine was excellent and well priced and the desert, well, it was wonderful. Great for groups of people and you'll pretty much always get a table, because the place is just HUGE!

Would have been perfect this week!

2006-05-18T16:04:00.000-04:00

I found this adorable umbrella by Moschino that I think might just possibly be the sweetest thing. Think back to the floods of this week and how nice it would have been to be comfy and dry under this little beauty... I love the shape, which covers your shoulders so you're not getting dripped on and the polka dots just cheer up a rainy day:)
Combine it with a fabulous pair of black shiny rubber boots and you're all set for the trek to work! Gotta love New York in the rain:)

The Nude You...

2006-05-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

I know that we all have deep insecurities and hate parts of our bodies and that we all have a few parts we secretly adore...so what if? What if there was a way to have a nude photo take of yourself for whoever, that really glorifies the amazing women you are! Fat, skinny, chubby, flat chested, but has a great ass...how much fun would it be to have an artist take some incredible pictures of you naked!

I absolutely LOVE the idea. Yes, I would be a little wierded out to start, but I think I could get into it, especially after seeing some of this woman's previous work... It's very inspiring!

If you can cook together it's meant to be...

2006-05-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

This past weekend besides being just wonderful in that very busy, lot's of family, lot's of food kind of way, was very enlightening as well! My boyfriend and I cooked together for the first time. We decided that we would cook a full lunch. Our menu was as follows:

To start: Goat cheese pillows wrapped in Proscuitto Parma with Sundried tomotoes, with a pesto dressing.

The meal: Sausage stuffed mushrooms....AMAZING!
Potatoes with onions
Creamed spinach with mascarpone cheese
Fillet Mignon

The meal was very good, but I had so much fun cooking with him that it made the whole thing so much more enjoyable! It took us a very efficient 2 1/2 hours to complete our cooking. It was just so nice to be able to be in a space with someone who respects you in the kitchen and at the same time takes control of certain projects so that you don't feel like you have to do everything. I would strongly suggest cooking with your significant other...it's a good sign if you can finish cooking without wanting to throw things at them! I've had many experiences with people in my kitchen that I just wanted to throw garbage at...yes, you heard me...garbage. This was NOTHING like that!

Food Poisoning

2006-05-11T09:19:00.000-04:00

As I was curled up on the floor of my bathroom last night, cold and clammy and just dying...I thought to myself, how the hell can I make myself feel better?! Is there a cure for this? Am I dying? Seriously, I think food poisoning is the worst thing ever! It's not like a bad cold or infection where there are THINGS that can help...no no no...with food poisoning you just have to ride it out...Such a shame too, because I had a wonderful dinner last night with two great friends at an adorable Middle Eastern place and I really enjoyed myself...Sadly, I will NEVER be returning ...I think my stomach would murder me! UGH! the agony! AND I'm not being even a little bit dramatic!

Sometimes what you desire happens!

2006-05-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

I write daily desires because well, I like the stuff or ideas and I think maybe one day I'll buy them for myself or someone else will like them and find pleasure in discovering them too...
The other day, well actually for the past 3 weeks I've been desiring my favorite flowers...peonies. I love these flowers! They are the perfect flowers...smell incredible, rich in color and just make me smile all the time. Every spring I get peony crazed and buy then on the street! Just yesterday I said something to my boyfriend about how much I love them and have to stop and grab some today on my way home from work...

So this morning a very nice man delivered to me the most incredible bunch of peonies with a note attached that says, "Happy Spring, love ..." Amazing! Lovely, Special!!!!

How great is he????!!!!

Monday's Desire...

2006-05-08T17:21:00.000-04:00

I don't think we give it up for the 1940's enough...wouldn't you all agree....?
I was introduced to a product today that is just so fabulous that we should all shout a big thank you to the ladies of the 1940's who invented it! AND, a big thank you to Miss. Emily for bringing it to 2006! Such a fabulous way to be safe, but do it with style:)

PURSE HANGERS!
They hook onto your table and leave a very pretty coin shaped peice on top, which then stablizes the hook so you can place you bag on it...brilliant!

I hate putting my adorable, amazing bags on floor of some restaurant! I mean afterall these are beautiful bags...they should be seen right?! WHY hide them and still not know who's grabbing them from under our chairs....And we all the know the rule to NEVER, I repeat, NEVER hang your bag on the back of your chair!!!! So my answer is this...www.purse-hanger.com
love it! Everyone should have one...well, every lady, that is:)

Good friends...thank you for a wonderful weekend!

2006-05-08T17:01:00.000-04:00

I got back early this morning from a fun weekend in Washington with my best friends from college. It's always amazing to me that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I go back there...It's like I see those girls and there's no bullshit, no wierd glances like I didn't do something, no snotty comments, no crap, because well, they haven't seen me in forever and it's still ok, because we're best friends and there are certain things that are just understood between best friends. You know what I'm talking about right?

I miss that feeling and when I leave, I can't wait to get my fix again. Maybe it's because it is so rare that I see them and so it's such a luxury that nothing bothers me when I'm there...but still...this morning when I got on my 9AM shuttle back to Manhattan I felt like I was missing something and that feeling is not going to go away till July, when I see them again.

Seriously, just being able to sit with your friend in silence and have total calm is amazing. I love not having to worry about what I say, because they certainly are not judging me. It's like you have these people who just are always there for you, not because you feel some sense of obligation to each other, but because you all really care.

I'm sure you all have friends like these...and I just don't think we appreciate them enough.

Mushy moment, I know...but I had such a wonderful weekend that I had to say a big thank you to the wonderful ladies down in D.C.!!!!!!

The Player's Club...

2006-05-04T14:24:00.000-04:00

I got some VERY exciting news last night and I have to write about it! Marquis Jets has an anual trip they organize for a few of their select top earners, sales people, marketing people... This trip is the MOST DESIRED trip and it's pretty slim that you're going on it, even if you think you are...But, luckily one of my very best friends is a Marquis Jet superstar and she has so very graciously invited me to accompany her on this trip of trips! We fly down on one of their jets to The Ocean Club in Nassau Bahamas for 4 days of fabulous treatment and fun! I can't wait! This will be my first official flight on a private jet...I've walked on a few, but never actually flew on one, so this should be so exciting. I feel like a little kid!

Right now I have to start planning on what I'm going be wearing and what I need to bring with me...oh wait, that's right...NOTHING, because everything is there for us to use and enjoy:)

I still feel like it's a dream...I'm going to ride it for as long as it lasts:)

I will definitely update on how the trip went...I leave in 2 weeks!

Back to my roots...

2006-05-03T13:45:00.000-04:00

For the past six months I've been blonde...I started as strawberry blonde, then went to bright blonde and then back to a combo...the color was amazing...I was always shocked at the quality of the color and how it was possible for someone like me to actually be blonde. The problem was I never really felt like myself. uhmm not to mention, I had to dye my roots every 3 weeks.... It's strange being a dark brunette your whole life and then one day you have a whole head of golden hair...felt like an out of body experience...Not to mention, so many things are different. People treat you diffferently, look at you differently...very interesting experiment.

I know for sure though now, that I can't handle it. I am not able to handle the things that go along with being blonde. I actually had a mentor metion to me that I should consider going back to dark because pitching new clients as a business owner might be easier as a brunette! Not so sure how true that is, but I can say that as a brunette we pitched it, we got it...as a blonde, well, we've lost a few. If they were women, it was a no go, if men, then yes. Very funny how that works isn't it? Says something about women though... Not to mention, I never felt sexy, which is very important to me, as I'm sure it is to most women.

I have blonde friends who are fabulous, sexy and stunning, and they work it! They are successful and confident! Maybe because they were born that way...but not me. I had my locks dyed back on monday and I felt so freakin amazing walking out with my dark hair! I walked differently, didn't have to worry if my eyebrows matched my hair, was looked at differently and most important, I have my confidence back! It feels so good!

I'm sure one day I'll think about going light again and god know, there were lot's of people telling me to stay light and that I looked great as a blonde, but ultimately, I'm a dark haired chic. Who knows...maybe in 6 months I'll go red! Red heads have a ton of fun too:) But you'll never see me mousy brown hair! I don't do weak colors! hehehe Don't know too many people who do! If you're going to look fabulous, have amazing hair!

The Desire to eat can be so strong!

2006-05-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

I'm an eater...I'm a foodie...I'm whatever you want to call me in relation to loving food. Some might say "chubby," I say, "happily full." hehehe... I love to experiment with food, love the smell of it and absolutely adore going to new restaurants! Seriously, I'm actually surprised I'm not 300lbs considering how much my boyfriend and I eat out, because well, it's a lot! And when we find a place we love...oh watch out! We're there! It was Otto(still might be his fav), then it was the Turkish Kitchen(is STILL AMAZING), and now it's Landmarc...(I really have no words other than fabulous, fun, romantic, chic...ok so I have a few words)
So I say with much excitement that my desire for today is Del Posto! As I'm sure many of you know, this is Mario Batali's new place and it's generated quite the buzz...NO, this is not from some insanely driven PR effort, although I'm sure the crew handling it is doing a great job, I think this one speaks for itself. This is magnificently decorated, planned wonderfully, oh yeh...and cost a breezy $10 million dollars! Oh and the food is amazing as well...so I hear. I want to try it all!!!! Can't wait! IF any of you have been, please tell me what you ate and what you LOVED!

Ciao for now!

Taking you back...

2006-05-01T12:07:00.000-04:00

I was recently introduced to this very fun collection of jewelry through a friend of a friend. You know how it is...someone knows someone amazing who has this incredible gift for making super fun stuff and they spread the word...

The line is called vadisturner and you really, well you just have to LOOK at it to put a smile on your face. It's not complicated stuff or very hard to make, but it lights up a room and makes you want to pop lot's of colorful gumballs in your mouth and blow REALLY big bubbles. It takes you back to night of scrabble with friends and family and rainy days of playing with lot's of yarn, trying to create something "pretty" as a kid:) It's not expensive, it wears well and it's ALWAYS a topic for conversation!

Today's Desire!

2006-04-28T11:56:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited about this little craving...It's the Temperly London Sweet Pea Intarsia Dress. I've been following Temperly for a few years and I've always enjoyed the collections, but I never really started "stalking" the line till this past fashion week, when my show and Termperly went up against one another...We changed the timing of OUR show...Are you kidding!!!! Temperly is lovely and chic and has a serious cult following, not to mention the entire collection has been picked up by SAKS, which well it very cool.

Anyway, this dress is a little different. I love the Mayan inspired print and I also like that it has little sleeves. I love strapless and thin strapped dresses, but it's nice to see this every once in a while. God knows I would look awful in this, but a girl can dream right?!

So enjoy!

Interesting Factoid...

2006-04-27T14:57:00.000-04:00

In today's WWD, there is an article on "Areas That Accessorize." I'd like to state with a HUGE amount of shock, that Manhattan, the one and only New York City, is NOT on the top 10 list!
The rankings are:
1. Washington-MD-VA-W.VA

2. Stamford- Norwalk CT

3. Chicago

4. San Francisco

5. Philadelphia

6. Nassau-Suffolk, NY

7. San Jose

8. Boston

9. Detroit

10. Minneapolis-Saint Paul-Wis

New York actually came in 15th and Los Angeles came in at 18th!

I have to admit I'm a little surprised, but when I really think about the facts...I guess it's not that shocking. But still...LET'S PICK IT UP PEOPLE!!!!
Next quarter...I want to at least be #9! I know enough people who love accessories, let's show them what we can do here in NYC!

Desire of the Day...

2006-04-27T11:10:00.000-04:00

So I think I'm going to start posting something everyday that I desire:) It might be affordable or it might be, well...just plain insane, but whatever:)
Today's desire of the day comes to us from Lauren Moffatt, a fabulous handbag designer! HOW CUTE IS THIS!!!!?

I think this is a perfect summer clutch and it will glide into fall as well...it's all about versatility people! I have to say, I'm not the biggest clutch person in the world. I really cherish my bags and I like to have my hands free. But look at how cute this is! And I think it will fit more than just one of my chosen lip balms or glosses...don't you hate when you have a great little bag and all that fits is a tiny little tube of something...? YUCK! I need space!

Anyway, there you have it...my desire of the day!

Let's Ruffle a Few Feathers...

2006-04-26T13:08:00.000-04:00

I didn't write this...A Marine who is currently in Iraq sent it to me...I don't agree or disagree with it...And well the part about kicking soccer out, well that's just insane...as might be the part about drilling for oil in Alaska...Someone actually wrote this...Maybe they didn't think it through completely or maybe they're just angry because they've been in Iraq or maybe they just want to piss everyone off...I don't really know. But read it and take from it what you will or won't. If nothing else, it will give you something to think about whether you think of points to refute the ideas or make you think about how this might be right...do with it what you will.

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S. PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?

My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of Iraq regime has been completed. Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete. This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now to begin the reckoning.

Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short The United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, and Poland are some of the countries listed there.

The other list contains everyone not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.

Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases immediately and indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war. The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell-holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.

Need help with a famine? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France. In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth.

Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France, or maybe China. I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France, Germany, and Russia. Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well. Bon chance, mes amis.

I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York.

A special note to our neighbors. Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not pissing us off for a change.

Mexico is also on List 2. President Fox and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple extra tank and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put em? Yep, border security. So start doing something with your oil.

Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA
treaty - starting now.

We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska - which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there. They care.

It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, "darn tootin."

Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America. It is time to eliminate homelessness in America. It is time to eliminate World Cup Soccer from America. To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thanks guys. We owe you and we won't forget.

To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic.

God bless America. Thank you and good night.

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.

My latest Hobby...

2006-04-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

I currently represent a few jewelry designers who make some fabulous stuff! For example, www.jennifergrove.com Wonderful, easy-to-wear stuff that is not going to kill your wallet. And also knowing that the designer is possibly one of the sweetest people alive, doesn't hurt. It actually makes you want to buy more!

So the other day I wondered into a bead store and just picked up some great semi-precious stones. I started to formulate a necklace that I would make for my mom for Mother's Day and well, I got REALLY into! Then today, I went back to the store to make another friend of mine a necklace for her birthday. I purchased some smokey quartz, some jade and some awesome light purple stone, which I can't remember, but it's awesome! Then I made another friend a necklace and she LOVES it! Ithink I found my calling! hehehe Just kidding ,but it really is fun and some of the stuff I've made is super pretty.

Sadly I'm slightly unskilled in the earring making department...uhmmm I suck at it actually so that' s my next challenge and oh yes...I will succeed:)

For the love of shoes!

2006-04-21T18:59:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have a slight obsession with Shoes and handbags. Not just any shoes and bags, but very expensive shoes and bags. ( This is in addition to my hair and skin care addiction...yes, I have problems, but hey, I'm happy)

So it's that time of year again and I've been passing some very pretty shoes lately and it's all just getting to be too much...My hands start to shake, I can smell the leather and before I know it I'm knee deep in boxes and my credit card debt just jump another grand... I like them all! Laboutins, Blahniks, Choos, Ferragamo, Chanel, Prada, Marc Jacobs...all the way to the adorable shoes at banana Republic, jcrew, Bakers, and even Target! I LOVE SHOES! So you can imagine how hard it is for me to see all these fabulous sandles everywhere!

Today I broke down. My first mistake was heading into Sacco, where I was overwhelmed by slides and mules and thongs...I purchased a stunning pair of kitten heels and a pair of braided leather thongs by Bernado.( These are fantastic sandals! i buy a pair ever summer. They are chic and comfy and only run about $90)
I then went to Saks...hmmm...bad bad bad. The Laboutin section there is just too much to handle for me...They are all so pretty and I always find myself buying a pair. Today I bought a pair of red stunners...they might go back...Just a thought.
Then there was Jcrew...How cute are those espadrills with the ribbons and the patterned fronts!? I got a pair a little while back, but I decided they just didnt' do anything for me. SO I exchanged them for a VERY cute little bag and some pants. See! that was a smart purchase!

Now if only I can stay strong through my battle of the bag phase...it's coming, I know it is. Considering market week starts next week for all accessory company, the shit is going to hit the fan in my wallet. Basically all the spring bag samples are done with and fall is being pushed sooooo showrooms are clearing out samples of FABULOUS bags...and I know I'm going to be presented with some great options...now the trick is to say NO! I mean, a $1000 bag for $200 is a great deal, but I can't stop at one...and that's where I run into trouble.

Right now I'm sweating this Jimmy Choo bag, but alas I don't think it's going to happen unless by some miracle I become friends with the showroom and well, that's just not gonna happen...I'm not that cool:( hehehe maybe one day!

Waiting...

2006-04-21T18:53:00.000-04:00

I watched a really funny, but fucking stupid movie last night called Waiting...It's definitley not winning an Oscar anytime soon, but "damn Gina!" that movie is so funny! I laughed my ass off! This movie is about a bunch of 20 something's that work in a restaurant called Shananigans...If you've EVER worked in a restaurant, you must see this movie! You will see all your past restaurant friends in these people...you will see your old manager, the hot asshole who you used to sweat, the douchebag who farts and spits on everything, the freak guy who stalked you, the angry bitchy girl who hates life, the slutty hostess who wants to nail the hot asshole you used to sweat, ahhh yes...the list goes on and on...SEE IT!

*** oh and did I mention Ryan Reynolds is in it...uhmmm yeh...he's hot.

Some more Crack...for your hair.

2006-04-18T14:37:00.000-04:00

I know in the past I've told you that Pantene is the Crack of all shampoos...And I still agree with this, but about 3 days ago I gave into the urge to buy more Pantene product. I got this new Restorative collection conditioner for antifrizz....This stuff is fantastico!!! Seriously, amazing! I was deperate for something to tame my hair when I just do a half-assed blow dry...you know what I'm talking about...where you just dry the front two panels of hair and the rest goes to shit...Yeh so I use the stuff, do my half-assed blow out and run out the door. A half hour later my boyfriend asks me if I've had my hair blown out because it looks fantastic...THANK YOU PANTENE! This stuff makes you hair super smooth and sleek. It doesn't allow the air to frizz it out at all. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

The ultimate test will be a hot and humid Manhattan day!!!! But for now it's all about the Pantene Restorative:)

Life is good...

2006-04-17T14:38:00.000-04:00

As crazy as this past weekend seemed--with tons of family members streaming through my house, with kids screaming and yelling about the eggs they found hidden in the bushes, and dogs running wild in the grass-- it was a fantastic time.
Saturday morning Ken and I got up together and took Oscar for a walk. I didn't realize it was 80degrees!!! By the time I got to my apt I was dying of heat and I think Oscar was in some sort of shock, because he would sprint for a few seconds and then stop dead in his tracks panting up a storm! I think he was testing to see how hot it really was! hehehe We then quickly picked up some flowers, wine, chocolate, showered and packed up. Ken picked us up at 2ish and we headed out for a weekend with the parents. I have to admit I was a little nervous at the thought of spending serious quality time with mom and dad...They are great people, but my dad can be a tad tough and moody...
We arrived and were immediately put to work getting the table ready, helping with cooking and organizing plates and stuff. We then sat around a bit drinking wine on the patio and eating lot's of yummy cheeses:) Not soon after we finished our last sips of wine my dad suggested we go for a walk...Actually, no...I suggested we walk down to the lake. (uhmm the lake is at the bottom of a not so big hill and that was it) So my dad decides we should go for a WALK. He come out of the house with walking sticks and his boots on...hmmm...I went into panic mode but there was nothing I could do...his mind was made up!
So we start down the hill...me in my flip flops kind of dragging along... At one point, about 15 into the walk I had an out of body experience where I saw my dad out in front in his boots, Ken in his Gucci loafers and Lacoste polo and me in my little skirt with flip flops, and it was just too funny! I mean seriously...we looked like such city people it was crazy!!!!! who hikes in Gucci loafers!!! hehehe we do!

Sunday, well Sunday was a crazy day. Started with church then shifted to serious family mode... Soon after, friends showed up and then it all went to hell with people everywhere! A great time was had by all:)

Arriving back in the city last night was wonderful! We were beaming while sitting in traffice coming uptown! God I love New York!

The Daily News...again...

2006-04-13T12:47:00.000-04:00

"Tonight's the second night of Passover - so it's hard to believe that even the most hapless publicist would send out a press release offering up Bill Downs, "one of the world's foremost experts on diet and nutrition," to discuss "the unspoken dark side" of the Seder: "Flatulence, irritable bowels, heartburn ... are common Passover conditions," Downs' flack explains. "Instead of reflecting on the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt, we end up struggling to contain the exodus of gas." Sadly, I have been assured that this release is not a hoax."
From today's Daily News...

I have to say, once again the Daily News does not surprise me with this very uninteresting factoid. Do I give a shit that some idiot publicist wants to use Passover as a means to get press for her client. NO! Do I think she's an idiot....YES!
Now, I say this being a publicist myself...and I think it's insane, but the fact that the Daily News felt it was soooo newsworthy to expose this "crime," is even more insane to me...Am I wrong? Do people really need to be reading about this? I think publicists get enough shit on a daily basis, is it really neccessary to show all their mistakes??? I think not.

A New Jewelry Collection...love it!

2006-04-12T16:04:00.000-04:00

I recently met with this woman to discuss her jewelry collection and I just think it's wonderful! She is so creative and has so much going for in terms of talent I have to share!
The site currently shows her feather collection, but coming VERY soon is a full collection of charms and skull earrings and more metalwork. It's just so fabulous! Can't wait to show it to you all!
She's not a full fledged client yet, but hopefully soon will be, so I'm super excited to show off her stuff:)
take a look:
http://www.ahjewelry.com/

Gen Art film festival

2006-04-10T13:28:00.000-04:00

This past week and this week is the Gen Art film festival and I had the pleasure of attending one of the movies last night. The movie was called Shut up and Sing and it's probably one of the best films I've seen in a long time. It's a combo of My Big Fat Greek Wedding with Old School with a little drama...LOVED IT! I can't wait for it to be released and for everyone to see it! I laughed I cried it was better than CATS! IF you hear about it...GO SEE IT! oh! and Molly Shannon is in it...'nuff said...:)

NEW PRODUCT! NEW PRODUCT!

2006-04-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

I'm sure many of you crazed skin care product junkies have heard about this company Earthen, but holy crap it's amazing! This weekend when I was in New Jersey I stopped into Saks and this wonderful lady, Hanna, who I've known since I was 7 was there, so I stopped by and said hi:) She mentioned this new line to me as we were talking about how bad the sun is for my skin (uhmm I'm tan and it's obvious I let the sun hit my face...bad bad bad) and she told me about this line. Well, she showed me this product called Instant Peel, which seemed cool but carried a price tag of $50 for 6 packets. I was a little skeptical about all of it...I don't usually spend a ton of money of stuff for my face...I used to spend a ton of money of la Mer and so on, but I realized that it's just not worth it and so I stopped.

Anyway, I've been through a ton of shit with my skin. Everything from Lazers to chemicals to my monthly facials...and well my skin looks really quite amazing now, considering how much it's been through ,but I'm always looking for a good scrub or moisturizer. So enter Instant Peel! You open up a little packet and start working it in with your fingers and the top layer of dead skin just peels off in your hands and your left with a fresh layer of skin! It's awesome and when I got out of the shower and looked at my skin it was quite remarkable! I would strongly rec this product for anyone who thinks they might need it. It's def worth the $50. Oh and there moisturizer is fantastic as well:)

Please tell me this is a joke!

2006-04-06T11:42:00.000-04:00

My usual morning routine includes drinking some coffee, reading the Post and the Daily News and then finally making it to all the other online sites like, NY Times, CNN.com, BBC...whatever...
This morning, I'm skimming over the daily dish section of the Daily News and to my horror I start reading an entire article on how a woman's HIPS are the
"new cleavage." I thought it was some kind of sick joke...I mean seriously people, are you kidding me? I recognize that this entire article was to draw attention to April's issue of Esquire Magazine, but COME ON!!!! Have we as readers become that pathetic that we have to read articles about this shit in our morning paper!? Do the writers at the Daily News have such little respect for us? So confused! I realize I'm discussing this on my blog instead of just ignoring it, but I just couldn't believe my eyes.

Who gives a shit what the new cleavage is! Boobs are boobs and they will NEVER be "out." A nice butt is also, just that...a nice butt and it will always be sexy. Some freaks even think that toe cleavage and the instep is the hottest thing happening, but I don't care how nice your hips bones are or how pretty your ass crack seems...who cares! To actually write an article about how "boobs are out and hips are in," well, that's just dumb.

Don't get me wrong...I ADMIRE and am totally jealous of women with amazing hips bones that can have jeans resting on them with a cute top...awesome! But don't tell me it's the new cleavage! Next thing you know, you're going to have an anorexia problem nationwide amongst 10 year olds because media says hip bones coming out of you is cool... The new plastic surgery is going to be hip bone implants! And you know some girl with well, no real hip bones but thinks she has them, is going to start strutting around in super low jeans...and I just don't need to see that.(This already happened when retailers decided for us that super low jeans were the only way to go) Hey, I don't have the hip bones! Never have and probably never will...They are burried under some "softer" layers, and you can bet that I will NEVER wear my hips as the "new cleavage!"
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/406246p-343987c.html

Ahhh yes...Hump day

2006-04-05T11:05:00.000-04:00

So it's snowing outside right now...so strange!

Anyway, so I'm sitting at my desk staring out the window onto Madison Ave. There are 4 buildings in front of me and i can see into all of them because I'm on the top floor of mine. Let me just give you an idea of what's going on this lovely hump day.

Directly across from me there are 3 guys all siting at a table with their feet up watching TV and smoking out a window. Ohhh! and intern just came in and they quickly took their feet down.

Below them there's a guy, alone in an office with his feet up as well (noticing a trend here) and well, he's VERY relaxed. He's doing something that he probably wouldn't be doing if he knew i was writing about him, but oh well...eeeeewww...

Then in the next building there's a floor with heavy velvet curtains...ahh yes, the whore house. I'm not kidding you...I went in there once with a friend because they advertise as a normal massage place, but I can say with confindence that is NOT a massage place...lot's of girls, lot's of guys and a strong smell of bleach... MANY MANY HAPPY ENDINGS!

One floor down there's a salon with a guy waving his hands like a bird with scissors...not going there EVER!

Below him is a SUBWAY, where I can see the angry workers...I bet they're giving me the evil eye because i never let them put olives on my 6 inch subs...

In the next building down there's a room full of people at a conference table and one guy standing in the window staring at me as I write this...I just waved.

So you see...Who needs a TV when you have Madison Ave....i could do NOTHING all day and be totally entertained by these people!

*** oh and some shit is going down on the cross street. There are a ton of fire trucks in front of the empire state building...probably, wait for it...wait for it...a bomb threat....(purely speculation...could just be some psycho trying to jump) I don't know...it's all just too exciting this very gloomy hump day.

Cheese it is!

2006-04-04T10:55:00.000-04:00

According to the The Sun, one of my fav UK pubs...

CHEESE can boost your sex life, help beat stress and act as a painkiller, experts claimed yesterday.
It contains natural chemical phenylethylamine (PEA) which releases endorphins — or “happy hormones” — into the body, says a British Cheese Association study.
Cheese has ten times more PEA than chocolate.
The study says “a matchbox-sized bit of cheese a day helps boost calcium intake and provides happy hormones”.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006150270,00.html

UHMMMM...ladies...I think that explains EVERYTHING! Who knew? Here's another excuse to indulge in mass cheese consumption. FABULOUS!

What's word on lip balm?

2006-04-03T13:19:00.000-04:00

Over the past few years, in addition to developing a huge haircare "habit," I've also become a lip balm junky. And I say this in the most sincere way, because seriously...I find myself in a panic if I am without balm! It's getting insane!

A friend of mine once said the best product to use is just pure vaseline...so on her rec I keep a small container of it bedside and I LOVE it. It's really the best thing and it should be enough to just put some one at night and then let your lips recover during your sleep. But...I have bought into all the "hype" concerning lip treatment...My god...I have tried everything:

Kiehls- was the wonder balm a few years ago and my mom still swears by it.
Carmex- my friend tells me this is the devils balm! NEVER use it, because it dries out your lips and makes you like me, dependant on lip treatments
Soft lips- so pretty and dainty and damn good, but I just can't stick with it for some reason.
Blistex-someone told me to try this because it's not goopy, but shit, it's so slimy and well tastes terrible and i feel like I'm putting white paste on my lips
Aveeno lip treatment- This stuff was pretty cool until it started getting all seedy...very gross and had to be thrown out.
Bigelows My fav lip balm- I really like this stuff,but I'm almost done with the pot and I don't feel like it really helps you know?
Bigelows Rose Salve- The WORST. Dried out my lips so bad!
Burt's Bees Beesewax lip balm- I still have a stick on this in almost every bag I carry...it's a nice breath freshener when you need it:)
LUSH lip balms- Fantastic! A little thick but once it's on, you're all set for the day...

These are some of the balms I've used recently and if I insulted one your favorites, I'm so sorry, I'd totaly be willing to try it again!
I just think it's crazy that I have spent so much money on freakin lip balm!
Oh! and on my trip I used Chapstick's Ultra 30 balm...yuck~! I mean really people! It was so bitter in my mouth I wanted to spit, and well, I just don't do that.

And these are only the balms...I don't even want to get into the amount of lip gloss I own...not normal...hehehe...

One Great Trip

2006-04-02T11:52:00.000-04:00

To say St. Maarten was wonderful would be a vast understatement, so all the words I would use to describe this trip are; relaxing (really though, not just surface relaxation...this was the real thing), heart warming, thrilling, full of new self discovery, warm and fuzzy, sand between your toes fabulous and much much more. This was one of the best trips I've ever taken and I sobbed my eyes out when it was time to leave. Yeh, I know it's silly, because i'll be back soon enough, but still, it hurt to leave this time so I'll admit there were tears:) There's really nothing better than having a total sense of security, the sun shining over the incredible blue water and drinking drinks that I have labeled pineapple coconut creamy heaven...better known as a Pina Colada.

So as the trip was ended and we dropped the car off at the dealer and arrived at the airport I kept thinking to myself, wow! this is going sooo smoothly...hmmm... uhmmm yeh...as we arrived there was HUGE line wrapping around the airport...the shuttle driver said, "no worries, that's for USAIR..." we were on AMerican and 3 hours early so I just assumed we were cool... NOPE. that line was the departures line to get to the gates. We waited 2 hours in line in the heat trying to get through two tiny fucking doors... I think the best were the assholes who thought they were too cool for school so they tried to cut this huge line...I saw 4 fights break out! I was dying laughing the whole time and then this little bitch tried to cut in front of me and that was about the breaking point. I seriously thought i was going rip her a new one...Ken had to hold me back. Luckily, i was not arrested for assault in the islands and we went through to the gates.

But then Uma Thurman and Andre balazs came and sat down next to us and things took a turn. All I can say is "damn Gina!" She is glorious! Seriously stunning in person. AND...so nice! We admired her for a bit before we got on the plane and then by luck sat almost next (row behind, but who's counting) to them on the flight home and they couldn't have been more sweet. At one point there was an entire plane load of people in line trying to talk to her and Ken and I were just trapped in a row by on coming traffic... All Uma could do was smile and sign autographs and answer questions. I also have to say, I noticed she might be preggers...Not my business, but it's a definite possibility... Seriously though...people have NO tact! There were two guys just standing over our shoulders staring at her. It was crazy!!!!!!! Who would EVER want to be a celeb?!!! Awful! but, it was fun to actually see the whole deal go down...sounds so wierd, but that's what we did for like 7 hours, because oh yes, we had an emergency landing in San Juan because the navigation system shut down... good bonding time with Uma and Andre:) Who by the way, are very much together...they were hugging and kissing and just so happy together.

So yeh, all in all I'd give this trip a 10...Boyfriend was amazing! I had some thoughts before we left about spending every waking second together, but it wasn't enough...being without him is strange now. I guess this is all a very good sign:)

Confessions of a product addict...the latest in my collection

2006-03-24T14:58:00.000-05:00

Over the years I've tried almost every product on the market...be it for hair, face, nails, body, lips...trust me, I've tried it. Lately my quest have been to find the perfect hair products. It's tough because I dye my hair which means everything has to be color safe and gentle blah blah blah... AND I don't want to spend $50 a bottle...But I came across a some products that have been very good for my hair and so I'd like to share them.

Freeman's- Pure color fresh shine shampoo and conditioner are fantastic! Love the smell, the texture and most of all it leaves my hair super soft! And it's relatively inexpensive...in the $6 range depending on where you buy it.

Aussie 3 min treatment- Another great product. Don't love the smell so much. Kind of reminds me of my 3rd grade scratch n' sniff grape stuff and markers, but it really does the job. IF you just got your hair done and it's a little on the rough side, get this and use it for a week. If you can put it in and then wrap your head in some plastic wrap and put a towel on it...even better! You'll thank me!

Bain De Terre- the Shampoo and conditioners leave you hair feeling like silk! Seriously one of my favorite products, but it's not cheap, so I use sparingly... LOVE the smell of this. My stylist also uses this product and whenever I leave there my hair smell and shines something fierce!

Fructis serum for shine- uhmmm I swear by this product. I don't think I ever leave the house without it on my ends...It seals everything and adds a hint of shine just to make sure you know how fabulous you look...And is smells great. It mixes well with most products too. Just be careful, don't put too much on the top of your head...it is a serum after all...

Halo- The smell of these products are unbeatable...That's how Halo and I met...I smelled someone's hair and asked them what they used. But, that's not all...Halo is an amazing expensive product. It really repairs hurting hairs...I swear...I've seen what it can do.

Pantene- The crack of hair products...Soooo bad for you , but soooo good at the same time. My stylist tells me over and over again not to use these products, but do I listen? NO! That softness, sleekness and shine are unbeatable! AND FOR THAT PRICE! Still hate the smell, but alas, what can I do...I'm addicted.

That's all for right now...next month will be another story...

This might just explain it all...thank you Susan Miller!!!

2006-03-23T19:43:00.000-05:00

"Someone you are dealing with now will reveal his or her true character and intent, so March should be quite an eye-opener. You've been working under a great deal of uncertainty lately, but that phase is due to end. Although you may not necessarily like all that you hear now, at least you'll know where you stand. After March is over, you'll be able to plot your course with much a greater sense of certainty."
Damn Mercury in retrograde! hehehe always messes me up!

To say anything more about the situation would be...well, it would just be tacky...and I'd like to think I'm better than that. Good luck to everyone with a new blog!

Moments of weakness...that pass.

2006-03-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think owning my own company is more of a pain in the ass than anything else, but then at then end of the day when I do my team meeting and recap I'm just so overwhelmed by a feeling of pride in the people who work with me and that they are so capable and amazing! Vanessa had dinner last night with a, editor at Vogue and they started talking about Spread and the editor was so funny because she thought we were some medium sized firm that had been in the business for years. V just laughed and said, well, if you call 3 girls and a guy in a fabulous pink room medium sized then we're you're team! hehe oh well, it's just good to know that everything I've worked so hard for over the past 2 years is paying off and we can be proud of it. Maybe one day I'll look back on these times of hurrying to get pitches done and just flying by the seat of my pants in new business meetings fondly, and laugh about how sometimes we "just made it happen." Sometimes I'm just floored at what we do and how we get by every month, but hey! I guess this is what it's all about right? That, and I have serious problems with authority...hehehe

Something to look forward to:)

2006-03-23T14:43:00.000-05:00

After a stressful weak of dealing with being deathly ill, working on a million new business items and pitching business like my life depended on, meeting with people who all want something from me and fighting with friends, which always sucks, I'm happy to announce I'm getting the hell out of this city for a fabulous week of rest and relaxation in the sun in amazing St. Maarten. This is just another one of those magical places where the smell of the air can take away any stress you might be feeling. It will also be the first full week my boyfriend and I spend together in one place with no outs:) hehehe It should be a fun trip, with I'm sure many new discoveries:)

Sushi Samba rocks!

2006-03-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

So this past Saturday night a few of us decided to try the tasting menu at the fabulous Sushi Samba! With boyfriends in tow, along with some fantastic out of towners, we embarked on a night of sushi and sake:)

We started the first course with some amazing calamari, salad and beef skewers! I've never seen calamari disappear so fast and I have to confess, but I was responsible for the dent in one of them...SOOOOO GOOD!!! The next course was 2 huge round trays of sushi and sashimi! Some tasty eel, salmon, shrimp tempura rolls, spicy tuna rolls and all the wasabi you can dream of! The third course was this incredible chillean sea bass and chicken teriyaki with these purple mashed potatoes! Simply delightful! The final round was desert...this cake type thing that people seemed to like and then this great chocolate banana cake with ice cream...uhmmm yeh...I ate one...oh yes i did:) YUMMY!!!

I have to say, as much as I don't usually enjoy the "group dining" experience, i really had fun this time...maybe it was the crowd or the delicious sake, I don't know...but i do know it was fun and worth every penny:)

Valentine's Spa day...

2006-02-21T16:26:00.000-05:00

This is all hypothetical...
boyfriend and girlfriend go to a spa for a couples spa day...this should be relaxing right? well... the first step is to change into robes and get naked...Boyfriend is slightly too large for robe so entire package is hanging out...They go into a candle lit room that resembles an embalming room, fully equiped with draining tub, two tables, some chocolate and fruit. Soon after two small asian ladies in matching floral speedos enter and demand everyone get naked and lie face up on the two tables...I don't know about you, but that's just a little personal... So there they are laughing hysterically, very uncomfortable...NOT ROMANTIC! Then the torture begins...the asian squad starts furiously scrubbing the shit out of them with loofa gloves! Ok, still naked, face up next to eachother...now being scrubbed to death. Following the skin peeling, they are both lubed up and rubbed down. As sexy as this might be, it wasn't and the whole naked part...not getting any better. The final "treatment" would be a squirting of milk that covers the whole body, to be followed by a hosing down. As the experiment comes to a close they are told to sit up, face each other and exit the room...STILL NAKED! I would not recommed this as a first date...OMG!