Requisite celebrity sightings 6

At Telephone Bar in the East Village, Arrested Development's David Cross, curiously enough with Amber Tamblyn (minus the rest of the traveling pants crew, but plus two non-celeb 20 somethings).

Two comments. Ms. Tamblyn has a surprisingly small face, and there is a 19 year age difference between the two.

I'm just saying.

Shuesday: Royal purple

I can't tell you where to get these, but I loooove them ...

And yes, those legs belong to Gisele.

Carry on

Do you wonder why women in New York carry over-sized handbags, and what we keep in them? First off, please know that when we leave the house in the morning, or, on the weekends, after noon, we have no idea when we'll return, and frankly, it may not be until the next morning.

Ahem.

What you keep in your car, we tote - we are urban sherpas. One might assume that the summer lightens the proverbial load, as there are fewer gloves, hats, ear muffs, scarves, leg warmers, cold medications, boxes of kleenex to tote. But the summer brings its own set of accessories, mostly in the form of bottles of water, air conditioning-fighting wraps and sweaters, and the same sick-related items for the colds we develop as we move from 90 degree, 100% humidity sidewalks to 60 degree, bone dry air conditioned foyers, lobbies, movie theatres, restaurants and offices.

I left home today with an approximate sense of what the next few hours had in store (brunch, movie), and ran a few errands en route. What I carried:

The Usual Suspects: wallet, keys, make-up case (in need of replacement), subway map (which I irrationally cling to, but which is useful for assisting good-looking tourists), subway pass/work ID badge case, sunglasses case, current issue of The New Yorker, business card case, shopping bag that folds to a tiny packet, barrette, cell phone, blackberry.

Today's Special: two packs of Crane's notecards, one bill that has yet to be passed on to its owner, triple A batteries (for the remote for the new DVD player), a sweater for the movie theatre, and Shichimi Togarashi.

I'm just saying.


Previously: Speaking of Handbags

Shuesday: Because they were there

I'm sure I'll find a place to wear them.

Shuesday: The search continues

Almost two years ago now, the Scottish Cowgirl lent me these shoes for a job interview, and I'm still trying to find a pair to call my own. These are close ...

What he said

NYT writer Campbell Robertson arrived here in 1998 - I landed 8 years later, and I live a stone's throw from the Life Cafe.

“Rent,” (which closes in September after 12 years on Broadway ...) like all shows, it is different every time you see it. “Rent” is different in other, more peculiar ways, because it happens to be about a city that I live in.

“Rent” is about New York, far more than, say, “Chicago” is about Chicago. I have tried to think up a title that could tap as deeply into New York’s consciousness — “Car Alarm, Car Alarm,” “There’s a Very Angry Woman on the Subway,” “Class Envy!” — but nothing comes close. This is a city whose founding mythology involves not a magic spring or a she-wolf but a sweet real estate deal, one in which it’s still unclear who was bamboozling whom, making it all the more touchingly New York.

NYT

Looong weekend: Part 2

Where to begin?

Ah yes. Saturday night. The LPI and his brother from El Paso orchestrated a trip to Jazz Standard for an evening with Jon Hendricks. I have to say that there's a magic in going to an event under-informed. I had no idea what I was in for, and it was truly extraordinary. Hendricks was joined by his daughter Aria and Kevin Burke, along with an excellent four piece band, and we had a wonderful evening of (overpriced) BBQ and jazz. We could hardly let the gentleman go.

On Sunday, I had plans for brunch, with the Artist, the Actor and the (newly-minted) Bartender, at Paradou. Who doesn't love a place with a prix fixe menu and all the champagne cocktails you can drink? As in, five rounds of champagne cocktails. And I'm holding the cocktails, and the Bartender, responsible for the skirt.



No, I didn't get the blouse. But when there's a sale, and you're in the shop itself ...

Ahem 2

Ahem

Why not?

It's one of those months, where looking hot really is the best revenge.

The icing on the cake, though, is Anne's delicious Breakup Bob. Usually we warn people away from running to the hairdresser after a catastrophic event and screaming, "JUST CUT IT ALL OFF," because, well, look how well it worked for Britney. But we love the shorter length on Anne — especially the slightly tousled version up on the right. It says, "Why, hello there, Tragic Ex. Doesn't this look like sexy-time bed head? For ten bucks, I'll tell you if it is. OH WAIT. You're in hock to your lawyers until the end of time. What a SHAME." (...) She must have been tempted to whip out the ol' cleavage — who doesn’t want to remind her ex that he no longer holds the key to Boobs Manor?

FUG @ NY Mag

Looong weekend: Part 1

I had a lovely, lovely weekend. The goal was vocal chord repair, as I'd lost it again completely by Thursday afternoon, and I'm now almost back at 100%

Friday I spent mostly on the couch, watching a What Not to Wear marathon. I should note that this is not reality TV that makes me feel better about myself, it's the equivalent of reading a fashion magazine. Stacy and Clinton put things together that I'd never think of, and they do things with accessories that I find inspiring, especially necklaces. I met The Actor and The Artist for a screening of Wall-E. It was sweet, and good long-weekend viewing. I headed back home for more R&R, and, due to the rain, watched the fireworks from my balcony, under an umbrella.

Saturday was a sleep-in day, featuring more resting and more fashion foibles. Having saved up a lot of energy, I met T-Izzle at DSW - she needed new shoes. The problem with DSW is that I never find anything there when I'm shopping solo, and always find fantastic shoes when I've got a friend. I'm saving them for the next Shuesday, but they're awesome. And then we went to see Hancock. I can't recommend it. I suspect that the pitch was great, and the execution bungled.

That evening, I went to Jazz Standard. That - and Sunday - are a separate post.

Shuesday: God is in the details

There is a reason that top designers are successful - this would be an ordinary shoe without the ruffles.

Pause redux

In my previous life in the camping world, I had an annual laryngitis episode in early June. The spring season ramped up through April and May just as we were getting ready for the intensity of summer, and when I'm stressed I don't eat, and that's a recipe for The Sick.

Fast forward to last week ... and into this week, and I can't remember what I usually do to keep the speechlessness confined to a day or three. There's a lot going on at work, and I've been in a series of meetings and phone calls of late that require me to talk for an hour at a time. I know that movie-theatre air conditioning can't help, but this seems to be lingering longer than necessary.

So it's probably for the best I'm not winging my way to a vacation location, camping upstate, or hosting tourists this holiday weekend. I'm curled up on the couch, windows open to the thankfully cool breezes, sipping tea and watching awful television.

Not exactly fabulous, but probably for the best. And there are plans to see movies and the friends who are in town in quieter ways. Which is good, because next week is going to be big.

Shuesday: Fly me to the moon

I'm so out of here.

Prada