Monday, February 27, 2012

An NYC Weekend

[I've definitely been doing a lot of this lately, and it's made such a difference.]


Totes forgot to do my Week in Review post, but I had such a lovely, productive, NYC weekend that I will do a weekend in review and work week wishlist, if you don't mind. :)


Weekend in Review
- fabulous brunch w/ friends, old and new, @ Blue Ribbon Bakery (It was my second time there, and I've decided I'm perfectly okay with not going back. The place itself is adorable, but the food is overpriced and mediocre.)
- baby shower for my NYC big sis on the Upper East Side
- The Met's member preview weekend for "The Steins Collect" gallery
- a surprisingly lovely impromptu Italian dinner with my roomie post-Met (we may have split a bottle of wine... yes, it was that kind of week)
- viewing (my first) of Shakespeare in Love
- a wonderful church service (minus the loud, annoying kids sitting behind us)
- a haircut and delectable brunch @ The Roebling Team Room (My second time, adn I will definitely be returning.) in Willamsburg
- solo Oscars viewing party whilst working in my planner and munching on my newest fave - Trader Joe's roasted veggie frozen pizza


Work Week Wishlist
- 3 runs
- goodbye dinner avec dear friend moving back to TX
- black tie optional party at which I will not be wearing a ballgown 
- weekly a cappella rehearsal
- potential TV appearance
- comfy Virgin America flight to San Francisco
- host fun and fabulous baby shower for Ma Soeur
- spend quality time in NoCal w/ Ma Soeur and Momma Park
- easy breezy redeye flight back to NYC


 

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Le Weekend (in pictures)

I managed to squeeze in not one, but two nights of art journaling. Voila my Springspiration collage and fitness goals for the next 3 months:



My guy BFF and I are doing a book swap for February. He's reading a book of my choice, and I'm reading one of his. My choice for him is Eating Animals (bien sur), and his for moi is Anna Karenina. Admittedly I'm surprised at how much I love it and have found myself unable to put it down lately. Thank goodness for my new Kindle Touch - the hard copy is HUGE!


I've decided that fresh flowers are a new "must" for moi, particularly now that Spring is right around the corner. My room gets very little (read: ZERO) sunlight, so I need something to remind me of the beautiful outdoors. I picked up these babies at a corner bodega yesterday afternoon and felt very SATC-esque whilst doing so.


I hope your weekend felt long, luscious and full of creativity. Gros bisous!


 

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Week in Review & Weekend Wishlist (merci, KW!)





J'adore when Kimberly does her Week in Review and Weekend Wishlist. The practice of reviewing all I've done/accomplished during the week is satisfying and helps me see the bigger picture. And putting into words what I hope to accomplish over the weekend, particularly a long weekend like this one, helps me stay focused. And so, I begin my first WiR and WW post!. Merci, Kimberly, for the inspiration!


Week in Review
- 3 runs (4, 3, and 2 miles respectively)
- 1 upper body strength training mini session (must get better about incorporating these)
- 1 a cappella rehearsal (we are holding auditions and finally decided on our group, after hours of deliberation)
- 1 apres-work drinks celebrating my promotion (adore my coworkers)
- 1 dinner date with bestie coworker Pallas and bestie roomie Annika @ Serafina (surprisingly delicious - had a YUMMY strawberry basil martini)
- 1 lunch date @ L'Oreal 
- 1 real date @ Kuma Inn (Date went surprisingly well, but I don't think I'm interested. Still, it was good practice!)




*Weekend Wishlist*
~ Saturday Cookshop brunch (it's my fave/easiest brunch place within walking distance), hopefully followed by a long walk around the city 
~ 4.5 mile run on Sunday
~ Oodles of sleeping in and laziness
~ Art journaling artist date avec me, myself and I
~ Catch up on my personal email (it's appalling)
~ Send out a few snail mail notes
~ Make spicy three bean chili & vegan cornbread
~ eye doctor appointment
~ yoga! (preferably of the hot variety)


 

Monday, February 13, 2012

Life Lately: Springspiration, Dating and Bonnes Amies


I keep telling myself that I will blog more often. That I will, dare I say, blog regularly. That I will actually revamp my blog, find a focus, regain my readership, grow my readership, reconnect with my blog friends and jump back into the wonderful world that is the blogosphere. But then life gets in the way, and well, I find myself doing any and everything instead of blogging. #fail


Alas, I am here many, many days later. I am here to give you a quick update on my little life that I am loving so dearly. 


Springspiration: I am itching to buy spring clothes! So much so that I may have popped into the ginormous 4-story Forever 21 in Times Square last week in between social engagements, and one of the first things I found is the blouse below. How cute is that?? Love the bright orange pop of color. After spending less than $20 on it (less than $20!!), I wore it to work the next day and received a record number of compliments. Now all I want to do is shop for bright-colored sheer delights, among a number of other things. What's on your Spingspiration wishlist? Mine is forever growing, but I know it includes LOADS of pinks, corals, oranges, tangerines, aquas, emeralds, and yes, even some nudes. :)





Dating: Yes, so I signed up for Match.com. And I have a date this Friday. My first date in... well, in a long time. I'm not keen on dating (and have this thing against straight, unmarried men - I know, it's bizarre), but I think I'm finally ready and willing to open myself up to it. Any dating tips?


Bonnes Amies: Since the start of the year, my social calendar has been jam packed. And since reading this book, I swear, I'm making new friends left and right. I even picked up the sales clerk at the Calypso in Soho last weekend (she just moved here from Austin and is this adorable artsy type; note to self: text her)! Most recently I got together with my dear amie Lesley who I met years and years ago at Kimberly's yoga and creativity retreat in upstate New York. We went to a pre-fashion week Nivea event where we ate blue cotton candy, hung out with Rebecca Romin and Jerry O'Connell and picked up many a tube of free lip gloss.






I miss y'all. A lot. Gros bisous.


 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Book Review: MWF Seeking BFF





I'm writing this book review, and I'm not even done with the book - that's how much I dig it. MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New BFF is nonfiction gold for 20-/30-something women who love having girlfriends. Don't believe me? Read below.

"When Rachel Bertsche first moves to Chicago, she’s thrilled to finally share a zip code, let alone an apartment, with her boyfriend. But shortly after getting married, Bertsche realizes that her new life is missing one thing: friends. Sure, she has plenty of BFFs—in New York and San Francisco and Boston and Washington, D.C. Still, in her adopted hometown, there’s no one to call at the last minute for girl talk over brunch or a reality-TV marathon over a bottle of wine. Taking matters into her own hands, Bertsche develops a plan: She’ll go on fifty-two friend-dates, one per week for a year, in hopes of meeting her new Best Friend Forever.

In her thought-provoking, uproarious memoir, Bertsche blends the story of her girl-dates (whom she meets everywhere from improv class to friend rental websites) with the latest social research to examine how difficult—and hilariously awkward—it is to make new friends as an adult. In a time when women will happily announce they need a man but are embarrassed to admit they need a BFF, Bertsche uncovers the reality that no matter how great your love life is, you’ve gotta have friends."

I bought this book on my kindle (my first actual kindle purchase!!) last week before I hopped on a plane to New Orleans for my law school bestie's, Pony's, wedding. After reading about it in several magazines, I knew I had to get my hands on it. After all, I know exactly how Rachel feels/felt. After law school, I found myself in an ah-mazing city (Austin - duh) lacking in the true friendship department. I had my other law school girl bestie, Jenny, and I had a couple of other friends I'd see semi-regularly. But the rest of the time, I found myself canceling plans with so-so friends with whom I felt little to no real connection. Quite frankly, I would have rather stayed home with Lola. So that's what I did.

Fast forward one year and a half, and I was not happy. I found myself constantly finding reasons to leave Austin, whether for the weekend or just the day, and sooner or later I found myself craving a different life altogether. Hello, NYC

Now my life is a series of social commitments, and I can hardly keep up. Reading this book, I find myself paying a lot more attention to my social calendar. Take yesterday, for example:

11:30 a.m. - Coffee shop catch-up avec my boys (Will and David) @ Grounded

2:00 p.m. - Brunch avec old boss/dear friend Megan @ Five Points

6:00 p.m. - Art journaling play date avec new friend/fellow art journaling enthusiast Tiffani @ her incredibly decorated apartment (more on this later - I am INSPIRED, y'all!) Psst - I was introduced to Tiffani via Valerie, another blog-y friend. Merci, Val!

In between was catching up with my roomie, another unexpected dear amie Annika. By the end of the day (around 12:30 a.m.), I realized I had been talking for about 12 hours straight. Phew! I was exhausted, but also feeling quite accomplished. All my conversations had been by choice, AND, more importantly, deeply satisfying on many levels. Throughout the course of the day, I had discussed, in no particular order: politics, interior design, goal-setting, boys, boys and more boys, hair color, fashion, self-confidence and affirmations, food... the list goes on and on. I wanted to whip out my iPhone and text Rachel about my successful day (that is, until I realized, we're not BFF's in real life - such a shame).

That is yet another reason I enjoy this book - because Rachel is totally and completely the kind of BFF I would want, so I can relate to her wants/needs/desires when it comes to bestfriendship. 

I highly recommend this book. It's funny, it's endearing, but it's also wicked smart and insightful. What more can you ask for from a BFF?

P.S. Also? I'm feeling so ridiculously, stupidly, blissfully grateful for the friendships in my life. How did I get so lucky? Note to self: Be a better friend in 2012.