basketcase.

tonight i had the privilege of seeing sara bareilles live in central park.
i just want to sing and listen to her music and let break my heart over and over again.

lockdown.

 

the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain.
–henry wadsworth longfellow

shelter from the storm.

so the world's ending or whatever, but i'm shacking up in my cozy apartment with the boyfriend, the dvr, a kitchen full of foodstuffs, and two delightful cats. they're not mine, these creatures. they belong to a friend for whom i was cat-sitting in tribeca this week. she's stranded in new england, so seth and i staged "the great cat-rescue of 2011" last night. one in a carrier, one on a leash (?!) and the two of us bumbling through an interborough cab ride, laughing at what a bizarre adventure this weather is turning into. over the last 12 hours, i've turned into a crazy cat lady, having full-on conversations with my new friends.

but we're here now. we're making a feast for dinner, inviting a few friends over, and turning this into a board-games-and-wine kind of evening. so bring on the wind and the rain. i've got food, dranks, and a lantern. i'm sure we'll be fine.

and because we've been cooped up inside all day, here are some

current obsessions (the cabin fever edition):

- this video. ok go and THE MUPPETS? two objects of my affection beautifully entwined.

- the trailer for the rum diary is out!

i read this book when i was in london a few years ago, and i loved it. i'm a huge thompson fan, and no one will be able to do this sexy, crazy, disjointed story justice like johnny depp. it looks fantastic.

down to the beach(to play one day)

martha's vineyard was indescribable.

 

five days of delicious meals, beaches, bridge-jumps, sunsets, shot-roulette, riding in the trunk, johnnys all around, dirty bananas, the crows nest, living in a mansion full of crazy-weird art, bestfriends, and obama ruining our plans. the weather was beautiful, the beaches were unreal, and the company was, of course, so so excellent. it was truly a magical island weekend.

for whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it's always ourselves we find in the sea. –e.e. cummings

anticipation.

a long week of babysitting is slowly drawing to a close. just one more trip up and down the hudson and i will be ON VACATION. i am living my dream you guys. five, blissful days on martha's vineyard. i cannot tell you how excited i am.

i'm going to go start packing RIGHT NOW.

bookends.

last week, i had a free day. so i hopped the hampton jitney to the beach, to crash my mom's ladies week with her two best friends from childhood. each summer, they spend a week together on some fabulous, fun vacation, and for the past few summers they've been staying at a cottage  on the beach of the north shore of long island. this summer marks their 50th anniversary of being bffs. fifty years. they make me so happy, the three of them, telling their insane stories, reminiscing and reveling in their shared history. they are a testament the power of friendship and ladylove that can exist in this world. my only hope is that one day, my friends and i can be like them; talking non-stop for a whole week, forgetting even to go to dinner because we're so busy being together. yes. i think i'd like that very much.

friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art; it has no survival value. rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. - c.s. lewis

current obsessions.

 

one day.

for some reason this summer, i've found myself falling into reading selections from the "chick-lit with an upcoming movie adaptation"category. first was the help, now onto one day, the romance that will star jim sturgess and anne hathaway as two star-crossed british lovers-with-a-question-mark. the story visits each character on the same day each year for twenty years, and chronicles how their relationship changes and evolves over time. i'm digging the book so far–nearly finished now–as a breezy summer read that doesn't bend my brain too much and is full of love and witty repartee. i haven't fully jumped aboard the "anne hathaway as a believable brit" train, but i'm all about jim sturgess. so we'll see how it goes.

the muppets.

i know this may seem like a no-brainer, but my appreciation and obsession with these creatures now extends beyond re-runs of the muppet show or sesame street. recently, my friends and i checked out the jim henson exhibit at the museum of the moving image here in astoria. it was amazing - a trip through the mind and manner of a certifiable genius who started out as a boy who just wanted to work in television. armed with a puppet made out of his mom's old coat and a couple of halved ping-pong balls, jim henson created a world, and a philosophy of education, that has spanned generations and defined comedy for many children. to test my theory that the muppets will never NOT be funny, i added ALL of their movies to my netfix queue (except a muppet christmas carol because i obviously own it). last week, i made blueberry lemonades and watched the muppet movie. still brilliant after all these years. "the rainbow connection?" forget it.

happy birthday.

it is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. –ralph waldo emerson

staycation log: days 4 and 5

this week has been an adventure. i'm very proud of myself that i was able to pack so much into a few short days. so here's where we stand:

friday my friend ari, a fearless wanderer like myself, journeyed with me to the top of new york city as we know it to a tiny little place called city island. time out new york called it "a sleepy seaside destination," which is actually kind of true. here's what we found out: city island is essentially a small town accessible by the MTA (it's technically part of the bronx). there are shops, an elementary school, many a nautical-themed business, and tons of seafood restaurants. you can walk the length of it in under an hour if you don't have some asshole with a camera taking pictures of quaint things (read: me). fun fact: the house used in the royal tenenbaums is there somewhere. we didn't find it.

after trekking home, tired and sun-kissed from my day by the sea, i headed out once again to see my new favorite dance company, pilobolus, starring my close friend shawn. they are the shadow people from the oscars a few years back. anyway, it was amazing, as usual (i've now seen them three times). check them out if you've never heard of them. what they can do with their bodies will blow your mind.

today, my parents rolled into town so i spent the morning cleaning my apartment (after yoga at the gym - my new obsession). got delicious paninis at il bambino, this tiny little cafe here in astoria, and headed out to citifield to watch the amazin' mets take on the atlanta braves. my grandfather, who is 96 years young, has been a mets fan since their inception (his previous loves, the dodgers and the giants deserted him and left him heartbroken. the mets have since done a marginally okay job in making up for it.) but tonight, rain and all, we took in an excellent game that was a triumph for the home team. plus, there's a shake shack at the park, so that didn't hurt.

my dad & grandpa getting back to their roots.

this week has been wonderful. tons of free time, tons of flexibility, with just the right amount of activities, fun, and leisure time to spend with the people i love the most. it has been a very lovely staycation. now back to work.

a life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things. there will be sleeping enough in the grave. –ben franklin

staycation log: days 2 and 3

okay i'll be real. i didn't go anywhere or do anything too exciting these past two days. lametown, i know. but hear me out: instead, i did a lot of productive things that made me feel better about myself as a woman and a human.

i returned books to the library and took out a new one, i went to yoga AND kickboxing at the gym, i made homemade balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, which i put on a homemade caprese salad that i paired with homemade baked chicken, pasta and homemade tomato sauce (read: i cooked and now i'm so proud i could die), i brewed some cocktails for my lady-friends, i had a meeting for my theater company, and i killed it at an audition. so i've been busy.

tomorrow, however, i'm going on an adventure. and adventure to a remote part of new york city that no one has ever even heard of. so much to come. get ready.


sidenote: i watched chocolat last night. i pretty much aspire to be juliette binoche in every way. and johnny depp has never been sexier. i will fully stand by that statement.

as for me, i know nothing else but miracles,
whether i walk the streets of manhattan,
or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
or wade with naked feet along the beach
just in the edge of the water,
or stand under the trees in the woods,
or talk by day with any one i love,
or sleep in bed at night with any one i love,
or watch honey bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon...
or the wonderfulness of the sundown,
or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring...
what stranger miracles are there?
–walt whitman

staycation log: day one

spent the afternoon tanning myself in astoria park, followed by a quick dip in the pool. had lunch, did a crossword puzzle and read in the sun. it was lovely and not crowded at all. had happy hour sangria and a delicious dinner in the east village with some of my lady friends. then a quick trip out to brooklyn for the tenth anniversary celebration of wet hot american summer, one of my all-time favorite movies.

we had no idea what to expect. a screening, perhaps? interviews? what we got was the following: a gratis arts and crafts table where i made a sick macrame bracelet, cameos by stars big and small, live music performances of songs from the soundtrack, a sweater-fondling contest, judah friedlander almost tripping over my feet, and so so much more. it was hilarious, and exactly the kind of disorganized, improvised, celebration this cult classic deserved.

our hosts, the boys of stella

all is not lost.

i am obsessed with ok go videos.

i am obsessed with pilobolus.

i am obsessed with this message of hope.

rabbit rabbit.

it's AUGUST.

i have this week off work. 

what to do with this free time?

here's what i don't want to do: everything i've done today (read: watch VH1, catch up on emails, pay bills, eat an amy's spinach & feta wrap for lunch) because i have become the mayor of boringtown, usa and the summer is drawing to a close.

SO i am going to take myself on a staycation.

beginning tomorrow, i vow to do something cool and cheap every day this week.

now, let's see where the sunny, summer days take me..

deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. –sam keen

you're invited.

i realize that i spend much of this blog writing about things that are decidedly childish, but i have fully accepted my status as a "tweeny-something" (as defined by this essay). so whatever.

now i will talk about my love of theme parties.

when i was younger, i used to covet the issues of "girls life" or "american girl magazine" that outlined how to throw the perfect themed sleepover. it usually involved some hideously complicated cake recipe, impossible-to-duplicate invitations, and games that never sounded fun to 12 year olds. so i went for many years never having a strong theme at my birthday parties. but i always dreamed.

then in college we threw our friend a surprise "disney princes bat mitzfah" in honor of her 20th birthday. we dressed up, ordered inflatable guitars and microphones, decorated our apartment and got a belle sheet cake. we danced to the chicken dance, the electric slide, cotton eyed joe and the macarena. we even had a non-religious candle-lighting ceremony where we all talked about why we loved the birthday girl. it was a successful night founded on a very VERY successful theme.

recently a few of my friends have thrown these themed birthday parties themselves and i must say, "1920s murder mystery" will always sound more fun than plain old cocktails. costumes, props and and a thematically-appropriate spread of food and drinks? where do i sign up? plus, as our twenties roar on and our age milestones become less relevant, it's helpful to have a clever way to celebrate. 23 is fine. 23 with DINOSAURS in AWESOME.

so rage on, party-animals, and rediscover why "princess spa makeover" is/was/will always be superior to "let's drink red wine and eat chips and salsa at my apartment in calm celebration of me turning another non-descript age."

me & the dinobirthday girl!

youth is a wonderful thing. what a crime to waste it on children. –george bernard shaw