Life Lately

It's no surprise that so many of my original blog friends bid farewell to blogging (at least for now). It's more or less what I've done as well despite many half-hearted attempts and promises. The reality is that life is full and gorgeous, and although there are aspects of blogging that I miss (like the friends and connections!), it's just not the right time for me right now. That being said, I'm going to write now because I feel so compelled, and perhaps I'll drop by time to time (or maybe I won't).

Unlike my last summer in the city, this summer has been a blur. A chaotic, fun and somewhat exhausting mix of brunches, dinners, museum visits, long walks, old friends, new friends, a busy new job, jury duty (yes, I got picked!), oodles of reading, countless visits to Laduree, rooftop bar soirees and the like. Tonight was my first night off in awhile, and it was much needed and deserved. I came home and promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half. Since then I've been lazing about, enjoying having the apartment to myself, reading blogs, listening to Birdy's album (obsessed) and doing laundry. And since I have a little time to breathe, I want to fill you in on my latest loves, passions and pursuits...

Paris, je t'aime
I've been a self-declared francophile for quite some time, but after reading Amy Thomas' Paris, My Sweet, my love for this city is reignited and has pretty much consumed me. Since reading inhaling her delightful memoir, I've been to Laduree at least four times and visited places like La Maison du Chocolat (ridiculously expensive chocolate; heavenly and better-priced eclairs), Levain Bakery (insanely good chocolate chip walnut cookie) and Lady M (famous for their Mille Crepe cake) for some sweet treats of my own. I've also dined at Cafe Cluny (absolutely adorable - the wait staff all wear striped Saint James tees, and the french fries and ice cream are to-die-for) and Cedric (ah-mazing gem in Harlem - merci, Tiffani!) in the hopes of recreating a little Parisien bistro magique in the City That Never Sleeps.

I've also been going through Amy's blog archives, and by doing so, discovered the British delight that is Rachel Khoo. I've no idea how I've never heard of her until now, but I am in love (and full on stalker-mode). I've watched all her episodes of The Little Paris Kitchen and can't wait until her book is published in the States.

And I'm going to sign up for a French language course at alliance francaise this Fall.

AND I'm planning a trip to Paris and London for Spring 2013. :)

Art
I've always enjoyed museums and have made the requisite trips to the Louvre while in Paris, the Galleria delgli Uffizi in Florence and the Tate Modern in London. But since moving to the city and particularly in the last six months, I've been having a bit of a love affair with museums. The Frick, the Met, the MoMA... j'adore them all. Last Friday I got out of jury duty early, so I hopped on the subway and headed uptown to spend some time with my favorite European artists at The Met. I spent hours wandering around the galleries, spending quality one-on-one time with Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Mucha, Vuillard and of course, my favorite Bonnard.

Tomorrow I'm visiting the Neue Galerie to see the Klimt exhibit and dine on some Viennese delights at the gorgeous Cafe Sebarsky. Still on the list? The Guggenheim, the Whitney, the numerous Chelsea galleries and a trip to the Bronx to see a recreation of Monet's Garden at the NY Botanical Gardens.

After reading Object of Beauty (a tres interesting book on the art world in NYC by Steve Martin (yes, that one), I've been more inspired than ever to take a course on art history. Regrettably I never took one in college and am hoping to find a continuing education course here in the city, one that actually works with my schedule.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


It's not all Monet and macarons though. In other news...


- I've also recently developed a rather unhealthy obsession with The Vampire Diaries and all things Stefan/Paul Wesley. I mean, with a jaw like that, how can you not?


- My poor white craptastic macbook is on its last leg. I think a shiny new macbook pro is going to be my birthday present to moi this August.


- I have a new roommate, and I'm not a big fan. Our little friend (read: MOUSE) absolutely refuses to eat the delicious peanut butter in the fancy new traps I purchased and instead enjoys making random appearances in the kitchen and in the hallway (only, of course, when I'm looking) causing me to scream, shout, jump on the bed and generally act like a crazy person. Le sigh.


- I actually have another new roommate whom I adore who's subletting for the summer. She's a wicked smart Harvard and Oxford grad who is currently getting her MBA at Wharton, interning at Godiva. She's lived in London and Mexico City, is from the Bay Area and loves good food as much as I do. We have a date at the esteemed Gramercy Tavern in July, and I cannot wait. 

Gros bisous, mes amies. I hope life is good.




 

New Yorker

{image from here}

I don't know what it is about this city, but it makes you busy.  There's a reason people are always in a hurry here - there's always somewhere to go, some place you were supposed to be 15 minutes ago, some train to catch, something.  Ironically, I've noticed it even more so this summer, a season traditionally associated with lazy days, no school and lots of pool time.  No more.  Suddenly I've become a person with so many work meetings, lunch appointments, apres-work "drinks", bridesmaid dress fittings (okay, I only have one of those, but still), 9:30 pm dinner reservations ON A WEEKDAY that I want to throw my filofax, iPhone and Blackberry in the freezer, take a train upstate and check into a cozy, quiet B&B.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining about a lot of "fun", and yes, some of it is fun, but it's also exhausting - I feel like I'm constantly trying to keep up.  And that, my friends, is why I can't wait for August 12 - a date on which I'll have been 28 (!! - more on this later) for twenty-four hours and I'll be on a plane to Florida for a real taste of summer - the tastes of sunscreen, saltwater and pina coladas.

Bon weekend!

Life Lately

Bonjour, mes amies!  I'm coming to you live from a very rainy NYC.  I made the executive decision to skip the gym tonight and instead picked up a fancy bottle of Sauvignon Blanc on the way home.  Also just ordered some delicious cold Vietnamese noodles from Republic which should be at my door in 30 minutes.  God I love New York sometimes!

Things are pretty lovely here in my world.  Despite the insufferable heat (which makes me very cranky indeed), I've managed to see the brighter side of things lately.  Some of that may have to do with the fact that I just came back from a whirlwind 2 day visit to D.C. where I partook in some art journaling (see photo above snapped by Kimberly herself), green juice-sipping and loads of chatting/catching up with some of my favorite ladies.  My dear friend, who was out of town himself, allowed me to crash at his pad in Dupont so I was only a hop, skip and a jump away from Tranquil Space. 

More importantly, however, I was able to indulge in some much-needed alone time.  With such a social work life, social social life and social home life (have 3 roomies - oh my!), I find myself craving solitude and quiet more than ever (nevermind the fact that I live in New York City - constant chaos).  It was exactly what I needed, and naturally, I am craving more.  ;)

Another reason I'm finding life a little sweeter is because I've somehow managed to not take my work stress home with me at the end of the day.  From mid-March to quite recently, I've been a complete stressball re: work, and it has affected me emotionally and physically.  I finally realized that I needed to just let it go.  That's not to say that work still isn't stressful (I firmly believe any job in the City is stressful), but it's manageable, AND I do my best not to let it affect every other part of my life.

Being in DC around like-minded, creative souls reminded me of just how much I miss blogging.  I hope to increase my online presence over the next few months, and I so hope you'll join me.  Gros bisous!

Le Weekend

{photo found here}

Indulging in a much needed pedicure here

Brunching here and there

Trying to get fit here

Hopefully running here

Shopping here (15% off for VIB's!)

Reading this, this and this  

(psst - have been on a reading spree and have an upcoming post about all the goodies I've been reading)

Praying here

Bon weekend, mes amies.  I miss you.  Gros bisous.

March Goals

HAPPY MARCH!!  I can't believe it's already March - 2011 is flying by!  I, personally, am absolutely delighted that it'll soon be Spring (even though Spring in NYC is still winter with a few random warm days).  J'adore all things bright, flowery, green and happy.  It was only fitting, therefore, that I decorate this month's monthly Metro card as such.

Since I started working, I buy unlimited monthly Metro cards.  The cards don't look any different than normal Metro cards so I decided that I'd decorate it with stickers.  The cards also aren't refillable so unfortunately I get a new card every month (so wasteful - darn you, NYC!).  Instead of focusing on the negative, however, I decided to recycle my cards by saving each month's, and in the end (not sure when the "end" will be - maybe 1 year?) I will make some sort of fun art with them.  Good idea, oui??  I thought so.  ;)  Anyway, without further adieu, voila my March goals:

1. Work out 5x/week
2. Eat clean (with 2 cheat days per week!)
3. Less shopping
4. More reading
5. More writing

What are your goals for the month?

Sunday Funday

Sunday. I am not watching the Super Bowl.  No, I am freshly showered, in my PJs, sportin' my compression sleeves, watching Bones and waiting for my Korean food.  This is my kind of Sunday.

Today I ran 12 miles in Central Park.  The weather was absolute perfection - sunny and not too frigid.  I dropped off my stuff at the Columbus Circle Equinox beforehand and quite literally almost ran into Gideon from the earlier Criminal Minds.  Love that gym, but still not sure whether it's worth joining (more on that later).  Then I hit the Park, and while the 12 miles didn't exactly fly by, they certainly passed much more easily than any mile of mine has in the past few weeks.  I took the run nice and slow, tackled the Harlem Hills and felt pretty good throughout.  I'm feeling much better about February 20.

Saturday.  I had a lovely Saturday.  Brunch with my friend Will at Markt, explored the Limelight Marketplace (they have a Brocade Home showroom - see below!) and met up with our friend David for coffee at what might be my favorite coffeeshop in the city, O Cafe, where I had a yummy latte with insanely delicious dark chocolate at the bottom (see photo above).

Looking Forward. I have a lot going on this next week.  Dinner dates at Palma, Bar Boulud and Fatty Crab (not so good considering I planned to eat really well/clean for the 2 weeks before the Half).  Last 3 days of working out at Equinox.  Big work projects.  I'm looking forward to my Austin vacay more and more each day.  As much as I love the City, there's nothing like getting away.  I miss my family immensely and had a mini breakdown tonight as I thought about how long it's been since I've seen my Mom.  Mad flow of tears commenced, and it took me awhile to calm myself down.  Not being a 3.5 hour drive away can be really hard to accept sometimes.  It doesn't help that Roomie 1 has been spending the weekend with her mom whose in town until Wednesday.  Luckily I booked a flight to Dallas for the last weekend in April.  It's not terribly close, but it's not too far either.

How do y'all handle being away from family?  Most of the time I'm so busy it's okay, but when I stop and think about it, I realize how much it sucks.  :(

On Slowing Down and Being Lame

 After my kickass week, this week was a little... less kick ass. Actually it was quite the opposite and involved me waking up around 2 am on Wednesday morning dripping with sweat and shivering. Helllooooo, fever! After downing some Tylenol PM and forgetting to turn off my alarm, I was awoken at 6:30 am by my iPhone, urging me to go to the gym and run 5 miles.  HA.  Did not happen.  Emailed my manager and fell back asleep.  Slept on/off all day checking my Blackberry in a panic and responding to emails (was not a good day to be out.  I'd like to say I got a good amount of rest (I did), but I was sleeping whilst stressed which is never good.  

The rest of the week wasn't much better.  Although my fever subsided (thank gawd - achiness is the worst), I've been fighting fatigue and a complete lack of energy.  Needless to say, I didn't follow my training schedule at all.  In fact, it wasn't until Friday morning that I hit the gym for a quickie 3 mile run at 1.0% incline (surprisingly much harder than 0.5%).  Saturday I revisited Prana for a super sweaty hot yoga session only to learn that their heater wasn't working.  I was quite disappointed as it was positively frigid outside, and my muscles desperately needed to be warmed up. 

Today was my scheduled long run of 9.0 miles.  Needless to say, it didn't go quite as I expected.  Because the forecast called for a windchill in the single digits, I knew I'd have to complete my run on the treadmill.  I had hoped to watch Bones via my Netflix app on my iPhone, but then I discovered that my gym doesn't have wifi.  Grr.  I still had my iPod, but it did little to pep me up.  Each mile felt like torture, and at any point I could've hopped off and passed out in moments.  I felt exhausted.  I have no idea how those 9 miles got done (very, very slowly with lots of water/walking breaks).  I felt a small boost of energy after I took my Gu at mile 4.5, but it died quickly.  Worst.  Run.  Ever.

On top of that, I found it nearly impossible to walk after my run.  I crawled home, up my stairs, pulled on my compression socks and a bag of frozen peas and collapsed into bed.  It took at least an hour for me to work up the energy to get into the shower.  I'm still not feeling 100%.  I may not even be feeling 50% to be perfectly honest.

All this has me quite down.  I know my body is telling me to slow down, but it's so hard.  Less than one month until I'm supposed to run 13.1 miles on an incredibly hilly course in Austin.  I've no idea how I'm going to do that.  Nonetheless, I must listen to my body, and when it urges me to slow down, I will attempt to listen. 

Part of listening involves something that I'm actually quite enjoying about my training - being lame.  I actually abhor the word "lame," as it does not at all describe my current behavior.  That behavior consists of not going out, getting wasted, stumbling home and spending the next 24 hours dying of a hangover, eating greasy food and trying not to throw up.  When I first moved here, I went out a lot.  And it was fun!  It was very fun.  But I was new to the city, trying to make new friends and get acclimated.  I also wasn't working full-time and training for a Half-Marathon.  I've always thought "going out" was overrated, and at this point, I have absolutely no desire to.  A New Year's Eve party or an occasional outing?  Sure!  Dinner and drinks?  Oui, I LOVE doing that kind of stuff.  But going to bars/clubs?  They are fun on special and rare occasions and not at all an activity in which I should be indulging at this time.

Unfortunately, most people my age don't agree with me, and it's quite annoying trying to explain myself and listen to people call me "lame."  It reminds me of my life in Austin and my lack of friends with similar interests and values.  Why is it not okay for people my age to not get wasted all the time?  I feel like such a freak sometimes, but then I remember what I'm not missing out on, and I'm fine.  My dear roomie whom I love and adore actually said to me, "How can you NOT go out at all this weekend?"  (Then again, she's 22 so yeah... whole 'nother ballgame.)  Ugh.  Get over it, people. 

Ok, I'm done complaining.  Here's to hoping for a better week all around. 

{image: we heart it}

Snowmageddon & What's to Come!

BONJOUR, MES AMIES!!  

That's me and my new little man Koster.  He stayed at Ma Soeur's house w/ Lola and Sofie (Ma Soeur's dog) while his parents were away for the holidays.  He and I quickly bonded, and since Lola wouldn't give me the time of day, I made sure Koster spent a lot of time in my lap.  :D  Isn't he precious??

After 12+ hours of traveling, I am *finally* back in the City, and oh my, it's a sight to see!  Literally walls of snow on the sidewalks and lots of gross black slushiness.  I stepped into a massive snow puddle today and almost fell!  Thank goodness I was wearing rainboots.  They are a necessity in this city FO SHO.  Check out the pic of my street below!

Anyway, I'm back to work tomorrow, but it's a tres short week since I have NYE off - hurray!  My Roomie Annika and I were supposed to be the only ones home this week (the other 2 gals aren't returning until after the new year) so we had wild plans of Criminal Minds-watching and ultimate laziness.  Sadly her flight was cancelled, and she won't be back in the city until Friday night - BOO.  Once upon a time I would have relished the idea of having the entire apartment to myself for 4 days, but instead, I'm feelin' a little lonely!  Funny how things can change so quickly, eh?

I should probably go to bed since redeye = crappy 5 hours of sleep, but I've got some new stickers to play with so the chances are lookin' slim.  Wanted to let you know that I am planning to post my New Year's Resolutions this week, some of which have to do with this blog (which, I know, has been terribly neglected).  I've got some big decisions to make, but when I do, I'll be sure to share them!  

Have a WONDERFUL week, my loves!!

Catching Up

Hello, my name is Carolyn, and I am behind on life.  Nonetheless, I am here to give you a quick recap of my petite life lately, namely my fantabulous weekend with my bestie from Austin. 

Saturday morning was the Jingle Jog 4-Miler in Prospect Park, and I know beaucoup of my twitter friends ran it, too!  Unfortunately I didn't get to see most of them as it was quite crowded.  Voila moi and Jenny before the race (I look exhausted b/c I got 3 hours of sleep the night before...):

I also look stupid b/c I'm wearing a fleece headwrap/earwarmer... not cute.  But a necessity when it's cold outside!  I was super nervous about the race for several reasons:

1. This was my first race in 5 years.
2. I heard that Prospect Park was HILL-y.  (It is, but it's nothing compared to the Harlem hills in Central Park!)
3. Jenny has run 2 Half's and is a fast (and ridiculously in shape) runner.
4. I never run that early in the morning.
5. I had nothing in my stomach except coffee and water b/c one of my roomies accidentally threw away my pre-race banana. :(

But the race went off without a hitch!  It was a gorgeous, sunny morning, and Christmas cheer was definitely in the air.  The first mile was extremely slow, as it was extremely crowded, but Jenny and I took off after that.  Here's a breakdown mile by mile:

Mile 1: 11:09 (so crowded - spent most of the time weaving)
Mile 2: 9:51 (picked up the pace! still tres crowded)
Mile 3: 9:06 (no idea what happened here but we were speed demons! at one point i looked down at my Garmin, and I was running at an 8 something min/mile pace - UNHEARD OF!!)
Mile 4: 9:36 (went way too fast in the last mile and started feeling it in the last 3/4 mile.  also, there was a giant hill at the very end which was nothing short of cruel.  still, i ran much faster than usual!)

The feeling of pride, satisfaction and relief that you get once you cross the finish line is like none other (as long as you ignore the thrown up hard-boiled egg at the finish line).  And this was just a 4-miler!  I can't WAIT for the Austin Marathon.  :D  Afterwards we sipped on hot cocoa and then made our way to Stone Park Cafe, a darling and absurdly delicious brunch spot in Park Slope.  Buttermilk pancakes, quiche, cheese grits, and lots of coffee were subsequently consumed.  YUM.

After brunch we headed home, showered, and spent the next several hours in bed, watching Eclipse, and falling in and out of sleep.  It was awesome.  The rest of the weekend was a blur of decadent meal after meal, a little shopping, a little ballet, and a little of me falling down the stairs... yeah.  Thankfully I'm okay and didn't twist anything, but I have got to be careful.  Last time I trained for a Half, I fell down some stairs and twisted my ankle.  No bueno.

Anyway, I've gotta run (literally - I have 4 miles to conquer on the dreadmill!), but just want to wish you guys HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  I can't believe that in just over a week, I'll be in California celebrating Christmas with my Lolabear!!

Autumn Love

I love the word autumn although I feel that it's infrequently used. I've been loving this Autumn, and despite how little free time I have now that I'm working (forgot just how time consuming a full time job can be :P), I try to stop and enjoy the beautiful season surrounding me.  My Autumnal life looks a little something like this...

admiring the foliage

decadent brunches at cozy neighborhood eateries

This mushroom toast (thick grilled potato bread topped with ricotta, soft scrambled eggs, and oodles of wild mushrooms) was absurdly good.

running

(and icing painful shin splints... ouch)

(yes, those are frozen TJ veggies)

spending quality (and sorely missed) time in funky 

lower east side salons

late meals with long lost friends

How are you filling these beautiful fall days?

Happy November!

This morning felt just as Fall should. Tights, booties, and my fave Anthropologie coat. Chilly, crisp air in my face as soon as I stepped out of the door.  I'm loving it!  I'm also loving that it's November - prob one of my fave months of the year.  I'm excited that in just a few short weeks, I'll get to my parents.  I'm excited that I can officially start playing Christmas music (I do NOT believe in waiting until after Thanksgiving).  I'm excited that I won't have to get a pedicure until next year because no one but me, myself and I will be seeing my toes (although, I REALLY should get a pedicure anyway, for the sake of my feet).  I'm excited about the return of faux leopard coats, dark nails (currently painted avec Chanel Vamp), and boots in every shape and size.  I am excited that next weekend I'll be visiting Cape Cod for the first time and plan to make my famous (well, famous in my world) lasagna and a delicious, cinnamon-y apple crisp for my dear friends and I to enjoy whilst there.  I'm excited that I have a job and can spend the Holidays worry-free.  
I didn't share my October goals with you, but I did pretty well with them.  As for November, I'm still thinking about them and will share when ready.  I will also upload fun Halloween pics sometime this week!  I made a quite fabulous Rachel Zoe, if I do say so myself.  ;)

What are you most excited about?

Day 12... Happy

(Pic from dinner Saturday night. Roomie Deux is on the right of moi and Roomie Trois is on the left!)

Today was one of those amazing lazy free flow days that begins with a brunch date in Tribeca and ends with a Tony's viewing party on Wall Street (how lame was Catherine Zeta Jones' speech btw??). Mix in a rainy stroll through SoHo, a couple watermelon martinis, and loads of fun new friends, and you've got yourself the perfect Sunday.

Yes, tonight I'm happy to be in NYC. It's not always easy though, and I'm not going to lie and pretend my life here is nothing but brunches, shopping and cocktails (although yes, lately, it seems that way). I miss Lola daily, I cry daily, I've never felt so far away from my family, and sometimes I stop and ask myself, "What the hell am I doing?" With no clear idea of what's coming ahead, I'm both excited and scared out of my mind. I've never not had a plan... it's terrifying. Also? I'm broke. Well, I'm going to be broke fairly soon, and the reality of that, my friends, is very very much freaking me out.

But I'm so grateful that you're here, and that I can come here after good days and after bad days and know that you'll be here to listen. Thank you. I love you. (Come visit!)