A Few From The West Side

At the U-Haul in Chelsea. Should one charge for the elevator? Are they really doing us a favor?

How on earth does this guy stay in business?

It's going to be a slow week, what with everyone trotting off for the holiday.
I came across this wedding gown on Pinterest today. It's too garish not to post.
Please let me know if you've ever seen anyone actually wearing this.

Source: wedding-blog.gigmasters.com via Pauline on Pinterest

LEGO Proposal. Prepare To Melt!

I'm a big sap and I love a sweet proposal story. This is a video in which a guy proposes using a stop-motion LEGO film.

Source: someecards.com via Lauren on Pinterest

I'm Fairly Certain This Video Is A Sight Gag

Because the European Commission, in an effort to recruit more women to STEM careers (science, tech, engineering and mathematics), made this video.

Wow.

Trailer For $ellebrity Documentary

I cannot wait to see this.

The documentary focuses on celebrity culture from both sides of the shutter. It features interviews with Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Kid Rock, Elton John, and, of course, members of their unsolicited paparazzi detail. It pretty much details the devolution of American journalism over the last 10 years.

It's The Day Of Days!

It's June 21st, so you know what that means, another birthday! In keeping with tradition, I will most likely spend the evening at the Caliente Cab in Murray Hill. Nothing but fine dining for this gal.

It's also Prince William's birthday. Let's all rock out to this.

This was the cover of the New Yorker on June 21st, 1969.

Source: condenaststore.com via Monica on Pinterest

Happy Third Birthday, Andre!!

He's three years old and a whopping 43 pounds! Happy birthday big guy!

Annual (and obligatory!) Ivan Drago reference.

A flapper for your Sunday evening.

Source: retro-vintage-photography.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Lost Snake In Chelsea

This was on the door of the building where one of my broker friends lives.

A Little Ellington For Your Wednesday.

No one does a boogie like Duke Ellington

The Singles!

I get very excited when people that I know write books. The Singles was written by Meredith Goldstein, who worked with me at the Daily Orange back when I was at Syracuse. This book could fall easily into the chick lit category -- the plot surrounds the angst of going to a wedding alone -- but it's way more evolved than that. Also, there are numerous Syracuse references throughout, including a few people's real names. Amazing.

Buy a copy here.

Someone Told Me It's All Happening At The Zoo...

The Bronx Zoo...it's always there, just north of Manhattan, just a half hour subway ride away. And yet I'd never gone. That is, until Sunday morning, when I woke everyone at the crack of dawn (7:00 a.m.) so that we could be there when the gates opened. I'm all about making good time.

For the first two hours it was mostly toddlers scurrying about the place. After all, only people with toddlers would be awake that early on a Sunday.

Here are some of the highlights. You can see all the photos that I took on the Flickr page.

The young strap hanger.


Giraffes!
 

The gorillas are watching you.


Obligatory self portrait.


Two Andres


Bi polar bear.


Cheetahs never prosper.


Lion around.

Why Is X The Unknown?

Source: jadoresimone.tumblr.com via Felicia on Pinterest

Weekend Shiny Things

Like any lady, I love jewelry. Maybe moreso than the average woman. Pinterest is great for shiny eye candy. This one is quite a piece.

P.S. My birthday is June 21! :-)

Source: etsy.com via Jackie on Pinterest

The Giftless Kid's Birthday Party -- A New Trend?

Source: bakerella.com via Bryn on Pinterest

Update: I whipped up a Huffington Post piece based on this. Def check it out.

Yesterday afternoon I took Andre to a birthday party for one his preschool classmates. Three year old birthday parties resemble frat parties in many ways, what with the loud music and everyone running around like a crazy. (There were no kegs, though.)

The mom at this party was overt about requesting no gifts for the birthday boy. She's not a meanie by any stretch. In fact, I think it's a genius idea. Kids get so much stuff over the course of the year, why add more to the pile? How many plastic trucks does one need? Given the chaotic nature of kid's birthday parties, there isn't even time and structure to open them. Grandparents and close family will probably send something over anyway.

Think about it: Do you remember your third birthday? Do you remember anything that you received? Probably not.

New York City, in particular, is known for excessive kids' birthday parties. On several occasions I've seen four piece bands walk into the local indoor playground for a first birthday party. It's a bizarre form of being flashy. If you have thousands of dollars to spend on a kid's birthday, how about using $500 of it for the actual party and sending the rest to a kids'charity? That's a better use of extremely disposable income.

In the meantime, toying with a giftless party for a toddler seems like a great idea. It takes the heat off the guests to dig something up and cuts down on clutter in your home.

Manhattan Time Lapse Project

I like to think that I'm a good photographer, but realistically everyone on the planet does it better than me.

Case in point: This time lapse by Cameron Michael shows some great angles of New York City. I love the color saturation throughout. You must check it out.

Good Night, New York City.

Source: jevoudraisque.blogspot.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Burning Love: A Bachelor Parody

I am almost embarrassed to admit how much I like reality shows. The Bachelor is a particular favorite, if for no other reason than the canned story lines and the pseudo prom dresses the women are always forced to wear.

There is a Bachelor parody out that is so spot-on that I think I like it more than the real thing. You must watch it.

Sad Face! The Trololo Guy Died

One of the best singers out of Soviet Russia, unknown to the States until this video when viral in 2010. Gawker had a nice piece about him.

In Which I Went To The West Side Today...

...and realized -- after 13 years in Manhattan -- why parents flock to the West Village in droves.

Because when you walk into the Bleecker Street playground on Family Day, surrounded by magicians and live music and pinwheels and rainbows, you think that sort of thing happens every day.



Free bird!
 

Your playground doesn't have a guitarist, who kind of look like Kathy Griffin? (In a good way!)

Then I started chatting with some of the other parents, who were so much nicer than anyone in Murray Hill. (I hate to say it, but I've dealt with some real turnips at St. Vartan's Park.) Andre's pre-school is on the West Side, and strolling up The Highline was inspiring as well as easy. (Also notable: you can purchase cocktails on The Highline. This is not to be overlooked.)



So. Conflicted.

Rainbow Outside My Apartment Window!

It's going to be a great day!

Expect Even More Music On This Blog

Oh my. Spotify has made it easy to put songs on one's blog, etc. Instead of me noodling around You Tube looking for clips, I can just take them off Spotify, which has everything. This is game changer.

This old-ish song by We Are Scientists has wormed its way into my ear lately. Now, it can be yours. It's terribly catchy.

It's National Doughnut Day! Please Spell It Correctly!

'Donut' is a brand name, as in the Dunkin Donut. All other fried dough is a 'doughnut'. (Per the AP Stylebook.)

Source: examiner.com via sandra on Pinterest