snow in central park

We spent the day on Sunday as psuedo tourists. When it started snowing, I felt like a little kid visiting NYC from the west where you never see snow (let's not forget that I grew up in the snow belt, but it hasn't snowed much this year, so it's still novel). We had brunch with the Boud. boys and their friend (JH's new roommate) at a place with mimosas/bloody marys included. The Boud boys had real producer work to do for their three play production on April 1st in Texas. We got out of the way and cruised over to the TKTS booth with other cheap tourists looking for some classic broadway tickets we'd both like. We ended up at RENT, which was upbeat compared to the movie. We then visited the International Center of Photography and saw Henri Cartier-Bresson's scrapbook of famous artists and philsophers (J's favorite). Then as the sun started to set we cruised over to the skate rink in Rockefeller Center. As soon as we had hot chocolate in our hands, it started to snow. Snow in the city is perfect snow. It's even better if it starts to stick. By the time we got back to Brooklyn the snow was sticking to the old fences and boxing in the cars parked on the street. Frank and JH (aka, hot box boys that don't even think twice about snow accumulating on their heads) were ready for dinner. We were some of the few people out on the night of the Oscars looking for a bar/restaurant that wasn't projecting the show. We ended up at a Greek restaurant with delectable garlic shrimp called Mykonos. NYC is fresh shrimp followed by snowmen greeting us on the way home.



The next day I had my meeting at Penn Plaza. I then had a overwhelming visit at BH Photo down the street, where I didn't have much luck with used equipment. We did have luck with frozen hot chocolate (I had to have my own peanut butter chocolate) at Serendipity. Then we walked through central park with it's fresh layer of snow. We had the perfect long weekend in New York. It was back to work shock on Tuesday and my RISD classes both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

i heart nyc

I have a love affair with nyc. The city whispers in my ear when I exit the subway so that I know which way to go. Sounds pretty romantic, eh? My subway fairy (dubbed by Eller friends during our study tours) and I are making a visit this weekend. I'm writing from Frank's computer here in Brooklyn, which with it's slanted floors and killer backyard pergola might just be one of my favorite places. I think it's the company mostly, but I feel charmed every time I get to be here. Others report the same effect after hangin out here, so I'm only borderline crazy. (I get the crazy mark because I have this blog where I write about it). We took the train from Providence, which was so smooth - I would highly recommend, but the bus is cheaper. The real reason I was able to get a recovering sick J to come down to NYC this particular weekend, is that my trip is free for work. I have a consortium meeting on Monday afternoon with people that do my job at other ivy schools. I extended the weekend in lieu of jumping on the early train Monday morning. J's keeps asking what the plan is, but the best part about visiting NYC is that you don't need a plan. Last night included dinner at Fanny (not Fanny's) and if you'd met our sleek waitress in this ambient lit linear bar place, you'd know why it's just Fanny. Then we cruised in the mild brisk air to Daddy's (not Daddy) (I swear this may have been a place on D and C's nyc friend's list the last time we visited here, but I may be hallucinating?! remind me). They ended up blowing us away with loud music by the end of the night, but I will forgive them because they had killer key lime margaritas (which brought back the memories from last weekend)... Frank is asleep next to the paper that reads, "These times call for the Times." J is just getting ready with his deodorant with a message etched into it that says "lead the way" (what inspiration before you smear it on your arm pits)... Now that the love affair is public, I'll let J lead the way.

photo engineering

My boss and I decided to hold a workshop on how to engineer a good photo. We advertised it as "come get the big picture"... My boss explained how the camera works and the optics of lenses. Then I explained the creative side as analytically as possible (like the rule of thirds) to appeal to the scientists/nerds (not necessarily the same people) in the crowd. We prepared the students for the National Engineers Week photo competition where the submissions represented one of these words: RED, GLOBAL, ENVIRONMENT, DIVERSITY, or CISCO (a nod to our sponsor to shamelessly ask for special prize money). We also held a Engineering as Art Photo Show where Engineers Without Borders sold photos from their trip to Peru to help renovate a clinic. We also held a kick off dinner, a recyclable materials competition (highlighting a film material from Akzo Nobel which functions to keep in hot and cold) and elevator pitch competition (on the wireless initiative which may cover the entire state). I've never held four fairly major events in a row essentially by myself, since my team was out of the office with their families. The east coast has this week long February break that only extends to our students for two days... Essentially everyone is skiing this week. Skiing is far from my mind, but I could use another trip to Florida. My slight tan is fading as a crushing reminder that I'm not in Florida anymore getting way too many good vitamins for my skin. I'll remember to put sunscreen on my ears next time. I was traumatized that one of the students asked me if I was a snake with peeling skin hangin off my ears - eek. embarassing, yet not just for me.

2 for 1 key west

Our trip to Florida almost didn't happen. We arrived to Boston Logan after a 2 hour drive through sleet and ice. We cruised past a five car pile up of all the cars that had just cruised past us. When we arrived at the airport it was temporarily closed. Once we got to the check in we were told that everything was cancelled and we could choose the refund or reschedule line. The reschedule line rumor was that the earliest standby was available on Saturday. Uh, what about our plan to meet up with two other couples and drive down to Key West Thursday morning? Getting in two days late didn't seem like an option. Miraculously, we were told that our Ft Lauderdale flight was the ONLY flight not cancelled but it was delayed for 6 hours. After making friends with an Australian flight attendant that was really into TaeKwonDo, I realized that we were deluded if we thought that our flight was still going to take off. Long story short is that even though they weren't accepting anyone standby, I begged my way onto a flight to Fort Myers, FL (a little less than three hours from my aunt's house in Ft Lauderdale). Turns out that our later flight would've been cancelled, so we made it on the only flight out to Florida that day. J's extra valentine's day treat was a seat in first class and my extra treat was his driving across Aligator Alley to make it to my aunt's house by around 1:00am. I got to get a valentine's hug from my mom (who was in town to spend time with my poppy) and then we headed to bed. The next morning we met up with two other couples and trekked down to Key West in our party van full to the brim with luggage full of cute little party dresses. Turns out that we were able to wear about half of our little sundresses because the weather held up about 50% of the time.

It's always happy hour in Key West. After checking into our hotel suite (complete with rooftop deck), we got some fresh seafood and met up with the soon-to-be bride and groom along Duval St. We took the party with us from bar to bar. Other weekend highlights: an engagement shoot with the bride and groom, an all girls lunch, sunset boat cruise in crazy wind, visit to the state beach (after a long walk around town looking for the hidden entrance), and a beautiful wedding. On Sunday we cruised back to Ft Lauderdale to spend the day with my family (my dad made his way down for President's Weekend). Dinner with my mom's side of the family where the honey butter sweet potatoes were almost as sweet as the company.
Raising the sail during the boat cruise on Friday night. The weather wasn't as ominous as it looks.

Within two hours of arriving we found the seafood raw bar at Monty's, so John got his half shells.
Feats of Strength wedding tradition... where the manly men bend nails for good luck. The groom won!
Chickens roam the street in Key West after being blown in during a hurricane about ten years ago. No alarm clocks necessary when you have roosters roaming around Duval Street.

The wedding ceremony highlights are posted here.

Bottom Line: 2 for 1 margaritas, family and friends, 2 for 1 fun.

PS> I'm obsessed with the professional photographer that Erin and Sylvan had, Susan Stripling! She is what I hope to be and I think I shamelessly told her that. She already put up previews from the wedding on her blog.

Here's my favorite moment with my girls this weekend:

vday presents

Oooh, Happy Valentine's Day! Good excuse for presents that J and I can't wait to open! So, already displayed throughout our apartment are 13 new vintage cameras (I almost typed digital in my state of delusion)! My favorite is the Kodak Instant Pleaser with the vintage brownie as a close second. Here are the ebay snapshots of my loot:



Also, in the most thoughtful present award category, J actually found an online source for this Dutch Calve Pindakaas peanut butter (directly translated as peanut cheese). I have a case of the pulverized peanut goodness!

Now J has a complex that no one actually wants to buy him presents that he wants. This is true, because the presents he wants are either not so romantic, boring or semi-ridiculous. Here are the gifts that made it to the top of the list:
Yes, what the hell is this? Right, that is what I was thinking. I thought it was a rip off from the website, but I figured if it didn't arrive I was paying $33 for a good blog story. It did arrive, thank goodness, otherwise J's garageband creation wouldn't be so full of offensive drum loops. He's already started working on my vday song, which strangely sounds good so far (but he snickers and says that it's not done yet). I also couldn't resist a trip to Beauty and the Bath for some Lobsterman's shave butter. He liked it! Phew, thank goodness he'll have soft smooth cheeks while he rips down those heavy metal tracks.

We're off to Florida today (assuming this wintry mix crap stays at bay - we've been lucky so far) for Erin and Sylvan's Key West wedding. It should be as vibrant as the website I created for them as a gift (the bride's designs are all throughout - the wall of fame is a highlight). I also get to see my aunt, uncle, poppy, and my parents (who are sneaking away from the ohio bleh)! Can't wait!

homage reflected in lists

hom·age n.
a special honor or respect shown or expressed publicly.

I'm paying special honor/ripping off this idea from another blog, where she was playing homage to someone else... it's a rip off of a rip off...which must mean it's a good idea, right?

ten things i really liked when i was a teenager that i don't much care for now:
1. sundae cherries (do you know how bad those are for you?)
2. sit coms
3. the new kids on the block
4. big buttons
5. big bows
6. dried fruit
7. pom poms
8. key chains
9. backpacks that look like animals
10. shiny nail polish

ten things i didn't much care for when i was a teenager that i really like now:
1. soft comforters
2. apples
3. my hair part
4. my toes
5. mayo on french fries
6. scented soap
7. earrings
8. cbs sunday morning show
9. break up songs
10. mouthwash

ten things i've never much cared for and very likely never will:
1. biology
2. driving in bad weather
3. homer's iliad
4. the simpsons
5. mascara
6. my skin
7. coffee
8. facial hair
9. high heels
10. tube tops

ten things i've always really liked and very likely always will:
1. photography
2. peanut butter
3. dry humor
4. s’mores
5. heated towels
6. turtlenecks
7. van morrison
8. sewing
9. travel shows
10. kitties

J's homage

Here's J's rundown and his first blog contribution:

ten things i really liked as a teenager that I don't much care for now:
1. Poetry
2. Sitcoms
3. Industrial music
4. Baggy jeans and soccer shirts
5. Rollerblade tricks
6. Coffee shops
7. Malls
8 Existentialism
9. Guitar magazines
10. Posters
(11) Being called "Jase"

ten things I didn't care for as a teenager that I really like now:
1. Brunettes
2. Van Halen
3. Physics
4. My hair
5. Kitties
6. Documentaries
7. Indian food
8. Cute babies
9. Apple computers
10. Khakis

ten things i've never much cared for and very likely never will:
1. Leggings, turtlenecks, and other clingy clothes
2. R&B
3. Talking on the phone
4. Getting up before 9 am
5. Pajamas
6. People who do protests
7. Girls that like vampires
8. Religion/conspiracy theories/new age
9. Hair on women below the eyebrows
10. Other people's clutter

ten things i've always really liked and very likely always will:
1. Philosophy
2. M&M's
3. Sweep arpeggios
4. D minor
5. Economics
6. Black comedies
7. Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro Movies
8. Dostoevsky
9. Writing
10. Guitar

housing rundown

For D's benefit and reference, Rhode Island housing about 30 minutes from Providence in just about every direction:

below 100,000 = mobile homes
100,000-150,000 = doesn't exist or is infested with bugs
150,000-200,000 = multifamily/ gated condos that need work and a club for your car
200,000-250,000 = 1 bedroom places that call for work or they are owned by the bank
Sample: "$215,000 ATTENTION HANDYMEN AND CONTRACTORS! MUST SELL --REDUCED TO ROCK BOTTOM PRICE -- CUTE CAPE IN QUIET LOCATION NEAR WICKFORD --NEWER ROOF, WINDOWS, BOILER & WATER HEATER -- SOME STRUCTURAL WORK DONE, MORE NEEDED"
250,000-300,000 = 2 or more bedrooms that are livable, but they have no garage or basement (minimal storage) and one bathroom. Most have second floor ceilings that swoop down low enough to hit our cats in the head.
300,000-350,000 = nice neighborhoods, most have finished basements, but aren't much bigger then 250-300 range
350,000-400,000 = hipster condos (in converted warehouses), open floor plan houses with new kitchens, walk out ranches with nice yards, good school areas
400,000-450,000 = cookie cutter houses in new neighborhoods, houses with pools, well maintained, but sometimes boring

You can search on riliving.com to confirm.

J's quick

J's response to the bizarre cheese balls packaging (they clearly couldn't think of anything better to print on the back of the bag of goodness?): "If you see orange clouds, you need to move."

J's response to Jaime Fox's Grammy jokes about Snoopy Dogg leaving because he heard that the Police were opening the show, "Snoop Dogg is no longer a gangster rapper. He does Verizon commercials."

urban curators

After a Sunday again exploring potential homes in this area (there wasn't much over B+ grade, and I refuse to pay over $300,000 for anything but an A!), I feel that I was again noticing new details. When we first moved here I noticed details in the cracks on the street and reflections in the windows. Now I blur past, thinking more about what I will encounter at work. Even though I still don't wear a watch around here, time seems to be much more full now. Full of things I may not choose to do if I had complete control. Oh well, that's why they call work work, right? Anyway, I was struck by this group I found posted on another blog, Urban Curators. It's a group of RISD students that are hanging gilded frames throughout Providence on "common, overlooked objects and spaces." They are helping people realize that there can be beauty and design in mundane areas. Isn't good art anything that makes an impression? If you make it intentional by framing it, then it is real art? The areas that you may hope the potential homebuyer doesn't notice may be the most noticable. Some real estate agents call it charm. I tend to agree, but I don't necessarily want to live there. Is this because I may never be able to blur past it without noticing. I'm worried that if I lived in an art museum, I'd eventually be desensitized and stop noticing the art.

flashbacks

I'm having flashbacks to spring 2005 in Tucson when I'd have pool parties almost every weekend. J was out of town 13 weekends that semester, and I think he was gone for almost all of April. I was surrounded by a good core group of people that made me smile even when J was off smiling at conferences. J and I have been apart for the last 7 weekends with my travel and his travel combined. We will spend the next two weekends travelling together and then he's off again. He's an expert now at packing right before he leaves so I barely notice on Wed night that he needs a ride to the airport on Thursday morning. I've threatened to lock him down at home, but I know Sophy kitty would free him somehow. My routine is to head to happy hour on Thursday with Greg's lab and then I usually end up out to dinner talking shop with my boss on Friday. If J comes home on Saturday, I'm good to go, otherwise I end up with too much time on my hands. I wonder why I end up with this antsy feeling? Is it possible that I need to be surrounded by people more than I'd like to admit? I loved our little apartment when we first moved here, but now it's making me crazy that it's really not a great place to entertain. I want to have pool parties with the mini coronas, chips, and salsa.

Old snapshots from Tucson (A visit to the botanical garden):

blog addiction

I'm officially a blog addict. I click through the next blog button searching for someone to identify with or something to learn from some other neurotic stranger. I peek into other people's lives. I hate the fact that the day that blogger forces me to switch over to the new google blogger where it tracks me and forces me to sign in with my gmail account I happen upon my exs happy blog. I'm not going to be public on which ex I found, and no one will be able to narrow it down since there are too many - ha! Let's just say that I think I like to "learn" more about strangers than about people I know. I like to create who I think these strangers are. I attempted to pretend my ex was a friend for years, but he really was just an ex. I guess I could read his blog and create who I think he is again. Eh, I think I'll stick to the real strangers especially those with the design saavy (like designsponge) or true charm (like dooce)... In the meantime, you are all welcome to read on as long as you share your blogs/emails with me. I'll keep reading yours too.

super bowl commercials

It's the high holiday of sports. J and I bought cheese balls to celebrate, but there isn't a soul excited about the super bowl around here since New England tanked. Here's my commercial commentary:

Laugh out loud award: The rock, paper, scissors game over the beer (which I can't remember which beer it was, not good). When the guy tips over it's a little over acted, but you just have to laugh.

Disturbing, not just to PETA members: The animals pretending to squish the mouse thinking that they were clicking a computer mouse. They proceed to give the poor animated guy road burn by rubbing him back and forth destructively, then the punch line is that they forgot to plug it in!? The only reason I remember it was a Blockbuster Total Access commercial is that I declared that I would never use that service because the commercial was so bad.

Meaningful (surprisingly): The Coke commercial recognizing moments in black history ("especially today"), even though I was sadly thinking that most people may not recognize those moments in history. I'd love to know how many could name Rosa Parks.

Unclassified: Connectile Dysfunction - Sprint - "You can be you again"... Enough said from those corn-holes.

Half Time: Now that Prince allows himself to be known as Prince again, I will forgive his weak attempt to protect the luscious locks from the rain with the bandana. Or is it that he just forgot to take out his foam rollers? Oh, the dramatic effect when he whipped off his bandana to illustrate what purple rain does to your hair was worth watching. Did anyone notice that the parachute illuminating his guitar solo showed a very phallic version of his symbol guitar? Since when is Prince a cover artist - I guess after the party of 1999? While playing Purple Rain he asked the audience to sing it and J asked if people actually still know this song?! Good thing they didn't bring Brittney/Jessica/Christina out to sing with him, she would've looked confused.

open houses

Go plan for tomorrow: Friend comes from Boston to visit other people's soon to be abandoned houses. I can't wait to see some of these open houses that I've been peeking at through very bad online photos. You'd think the realtor would turn on the light in the bathroom for the special 360 degree tour. Or maybe they think they'll trick you into thinking the bathroom is all angular shadows instead of army green tile... or is that mold funk? And someone should explain to Residential Properties that 360 degrees doesn't mean in your imagination. Also, $309, 900 is obivously 310,000 - please no magic pricing strategies. Also, I refuse to spend over $300,000 on a "house" without a garage in New England!?! Let's also add in that a washer/dryer is a quality of life necessity.

2/4 Report: Nine houses visited between Saturday (with Anna the best open house buddy) and Sunday (with a willing, but tired J). Two that I would definitely live in and one that I may consider. The rest are out because they either had peeling vinyl tiles, horizontal cracks in the ceiling, and/or sketchy neighborhoods. The real estate agents' personalities ranged from offensive (literally racist) to the guy living next door to us in college. We finished the open house afternoons smelling of apple candles and looking for more.