A Hurricane Irene list

this is a list of things I have done so far during this "Hurricane" weekend:

1. wine
2. cooked pasta and meatballs
3. looked out of the window 20+ times
4. watched tv
5. wine
6. listened to music
7. slept
8. played/ watched bf play video games
9. cooked eggs
10. ate ice cream
11. WENT FOR A RUN OVER THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE THIS MORNING BECAUSE THE "HURRICANE" WAS STUPID
12. i kid you not, number 11 really happened
13. read a good chunk of the book The Help. So good, if you're wondering.
14. Spent an obnoxious amount of time on facebook, pinterest, and a number of other time-waster websites
15. showered twice
16. ate chips
17. migrated between BF's living room and bedroom
18. wine
19. blogged about the "hurricane"
20. this brings us here, to my list about the "hurricane"

And now I'll drink more wine and be bitter about the "hurricane" some more.

p.s.
still no subway service.

Girls and Their Bedrooms

I am fascinated by bedrooms, specifically ones that show character and personality. This morning, I stumbled across this, which is Rania Matar's photography portfolio entitled Girls and Their Bedrooms. It is truly fascinating, and I found myself mesmerized.

Lilly, 15,  MA

Some of the rooms I loved, some I detested. Some were neat, some messy, and some were even filthy, which was a little gross, but props to you for letting someone take a picture of your filth.
The pictures are taken mostly in Massachusetts and the Middle East, and it is interesting to the see the comparison. Aside from the clear contrast in structural surroundings and clothing, I think the biggest difference between the nations were stuffed animals.

Sarah, 17, Beirut

In the middle east, they were on almost every bed, despite the age of the girl. Perhaps they are left over from childhood, perhaps they offer some sort of comfort, perhaps childhood toys are hard to come by so they hold on to them, or maybe it is just a cultural difference: Teenagers in the Middle East like gigantic stuffed teddy bears.

Regardless of the reasons behind the rooms looking the way they do, the project struck me as intensely personal, a peek into the life of a girl alone in her world.
And come on, who doesn't want to see how other people live? It's like looking into someone's window without having to worry about being caught.

Hello Irene

New York City is officially in Hurricane mode. All of the subways and busses have been shut down in preparation for hurricane Irene, currently a category 1 storm that should be hitting us any time now. Stores are closed, banks, Universities, restaurants, super markets, everything. The few places that remained open either have "X marks the spot" tape across their windows or are completely boarded up on the outside, like the Petco by my parents' apartment.

I want to say that this is a bit drastic, but the storm still hasn't hit. I do think, though, that boarding up to that degree is a bit extreme. After all, this is the Upper West Side we're talking about, not some po-dunk beach town.

Update:
8:35pm- lots of rain, but still no sign of a hurricane...

Sunday, 10:12am- What a monumental overreaction by EVERYONE. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

As you may or not not know, and as I may or may not have previously mentioned, I detest chocolate. For my entire life, (my mother can attest to this, as can many other people) I have been entirely grossed out by all things chocolate. Sugar cookies that shared the same box as chocolate chip cookies? Sorry, not eating them. The flavor and smell of the chocolate rubs off onto anything it touches. A smudge of chocolate frosting on my vanilla-vanilla cupcake? You must be kidding.

My point in telling you all of that is this: today, for the first time in my life, I baked chocolate chip cookies. That's right. I BAKED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES and hell did not frozen over. Woah.

Before he left for work today, I told BF I wanted to bake cookies and asked him what kind he wanted. He countered that I wouldn't want to make the cookies he wanted, I assured him I would. So he left to go to work, and two grocery stores later, (the first one was out of flour.) I had my ingredients to make chewy chocolate chip cookies. I followed the recipe exactly, braving the chocolate-ness of the whole thing, and here are the the resulting cookies:

I must say, it was not the worst experience. And if I liked chocolate chip cookies, I'd think these look pretty damn good. Of course, I don't know how they taste, but I'm clearly assuming they're delicious.
Here is the recipe I used.

BF isn't home from work yet, but when he tastes them, I'll add an update on what my first chocolate chip cookies taste like.

experiments in Nail Polish

As you've probably gathered at this point, I always have my nails manicured in some way or another.

These are not my nails. This is a picture of someone else's really fantastic multi-color polka dot nails. When I was a baby, I had a blanket that was covered in polka dots of all different colors, which is what I think drew me to this idea. I also like that it's almost as if something has been created on a blank canvas. Nails as a canvas, imaaaagine that. And also, how hard could it be to put dots on your nails?

Well...these are mine:

So, that's how hard it can be to put dots on your nails. 

I won't be quitting my day job to become a "nail technician" anytime soon.

Daily Outfits?

Today, I came across a website that provides you with outfit options based on your current location and the weather prediction. (via SmartPrettyandAwkward)

This a screen shot I look of it.
Great concept, I do really like it, except...if it's supposed to be 85 degrees and rainy...WHY would I wear leather booties, knee socks, and a blazer??? Why would I wear jeans on 3 out of 5 of the mid-80 degree days??
Wouldn't shorts or a skirt or...anything but jeans make more sense? and really, this is missed Hunter Wellington opportunity.

I think you get wear I'm going with this. Good concept, poorly executed. Rethink your strategy, dailydressme.com, because as of right now, you've missed the mark in a huge way.

Also, I just noticed that Saturday and Monday have the same outfit. Great.

DIY?

Whenever I see bracelets/jewelry like this, I always think to myself that it looks like a fantastically easy and fun DIY project. I decide that I will totally make it, and I feel really thrifty and unique and wonder why anyone would ever waste their money on something they could make so easily. Then...I never, ever follow through and make anything. And then I understand why people (like me) spend money on these things.

via Design Crush

Oh well. Maybe someday I'll get around to being thrifty and unique...

Soap Rings

Soap Rings!

I never, ever would have imagined anything like this. As you lather up with these babies, they slowly disappear into nothing. What a cool, cute idea.

Wash Room

Lately, feeling very inspired by Pinterest, i've been looking at a lot of photos of great bathrooms. I never realized (perhaps because I live in the equivalent of a homeless shelter?) (no, I don't really, that's a joke, mostly) that bathrooms could be awe inspiring. I mean, I know great big beautiful expensive houses have great big beautiful expensive bathrooms, but I'm talking about pretty standard bathrooms that are amazing because of the colors, patterns, and stylistic details that they embody.

This one, for example. Yes, it is a large, open space, I'll give you that. but nothing in this bathroom is over the top. The pink bursts of color against that gorgeous shade of grey give it a fantastic energy. And honestly, who thinks of putting a chandelier in the same room as a toilet? I certainly wouldn't, but in this bathroom, it works. The high ceilings accommodate it very well. Simple, elegant. ohh-la-la.

This next one, although very different, shares a lot of similarities with the first one. Pops of bold color against a muted palate, with not overly fussy appliances. Also, another thing i've just noticed is that both of these bathrooms are distinctly feminine but in a very subtle way.

Coral and blue are one of my favorite color combinations. I find myself continuously drawn to them. As I spend more and more time looking at pictures of different rooms and color combinations, I find that I like almost exactly the same things over and over again.
But I mean...I guess I shouldn't really be surprised...we like what we like, right?

Architectural Digest

I opened my bedroom door to find my mail sitting on the coffee table. Amongst it was an issue of Architectural Digest. My first issue. Elizabeth Taylor is on the cover. I guess she contributed something of worth to the architectural world...

Oh, no? she was just famous and rich and had a gorgeous house? Got it. Sorry. My mistake.

Regardless of the "cover model", I'm still excited about it. I'm sure you can tell that, though, considering I chose to devote a blog entry to it.



In other news, I have attained a coveted Spotify invitation. That's right boys and girls, TC is a spotify member. If you are too, let's be friends. If you're not, hahahahaha. Oh, sorry, was that immature?