burner

tonight's required reading
+ sheila heti's how should a person be? 

slippy

remember these chinatown slippers that we all use to wear ten years ago? i popped into pearl river in soho a few weeks ago and picked up a pair for two dollars and seventy-five cents. it's funny to be so over a trend and then fall back in love, love, love. i wear them every sunny day to skip around my neighborhood. 

wait v. worth

when days were cold (think wind chills of negative 30) in vermont, the obvious choice was to skip the mile walk up to campus, stay in my nest of blankets and watch the martha stewart show. i was thankful that she kept my creative up while temps were low. i was inspired by everything she did. she was my idol. and among many things, i am grateful that martha introduced me to etsy. i've been using the site since february of 2008 and i've made countless purchases--my first being this sterling silver bracelet that i had custom engraved with "give peace a chance." little vermont hippie that i was! i didn't take it off for nearly three years and now it lives in my jewelry box. 

anyway, on october 29, 2010, i purchased a 1970s red kimono dress. now i should note that i am very selective with my purchases and make it a point to not buy everything that i see. the package arrived and i brought it back to my apartment, but i never opened it. the year ended. 2011 came and went. i moved into a new apartment. i'd see the package, but still i didn't open it. i kept the package in a duffle bag with my extra gloves and scarves, and occasionally i would think about opening it. but unexplainably, i wouldn't. until yesterday. june 4, 2012. i found it while i transitioning my wardrobe for summer. 

and here it is:

nice. it is nice. i'm neither over- or underwhelmed. worth the wait? sure. but maybe its worth was in its wait. i didn't expect to fall in love with this red kimono. i didn't think it was going to be the dress to end all dresses. i felt as neutral as i do in writing this. what i am trying to figure out: at which point was the anticipation for this dress lost?

emily once bought a powerball ticket, or something of the sort, that allowed winners an entire year to claim their prize. she waited months and months until she was ready to see if she had won. for her life to change. she'd mention every once in a while, in a variety of contexts, "well, i might be a millionaire." i don't remember her reaction to losing, or the minutes leading up to losing, or what made her finally decide to check. the deadline? the curiosity? 

last month, i ordered something from the something store. for ten dollars, the company will send you something. it could be a fragrance. it could be a tie. it could be a robot alarm clock or a patio lantern. my level of anticipation was through the roof. i figured that i would be the person that randomly got the laptop or the camera. i'm often very lucky. i had my coworker order something too. our somethings arrived on the same day. within three minutes, a week's worth of excitement dissipated as i opened my retractable car charger. my coworker received a reflective runner's vest.

giselle

the crowd cheered as the curtain was raised and julie kent appeared to take her bow with marcelo gomes at abt's giselle last night. then, from probably row E in the orchestra or so, someone [unexpectedly] chucked a bouquet right at julie. she stumbled slightly and lunged forward to catch it and the entire crowd broke out into laugher and applause. as soon as the laughter subsided, a second bouquet was thrown at marcelo. perfect catch. more laughter. more applause. oh gee, it was one of those moments.

for moi?

i absolutely love when people leave behind clothes in the dressing room that they don't want to purchase. when they're there, i must try them on. regardless of size. regardless of style. it's pretty interesting to just try something that i wouldn't normally choose for myself, no?

today i found on this sweet little left-behind free people dress. it looked like a poncho on the hanger. but on, voila: 

i am an angel baby. i am dressing it down to go out tonight and i might dress it up and wear it to the FiFi awards in two weeks. oh, thank you, to the girl that left this in lord & taylor. i would never have noticed it before.

and i might go back to get it in navy. lovelovelove.

easy come, easy go

i've been really into green smoothies for the past few months. i drink at least a nalgene a day. blend: three handfuls of spinach, two cups of water, a cup of frozen strawberries and one banana. they taste surprisingly divine and have cured my terrible knees. so much so that within the first three days of drinking them, i no longer feel any pain walking up the five flights to my apartment. magic, really.

though many smoothies means many trips to trader joe's, two or three times each week.

the cashier applied chapstick before acknowledging me, taking his sweet time as i stood there, and then said he couldn't live without it. he noticed my shopping bag from dior. he said that it was impressive, but i told him that it was not from shopping there, but rather acquired from work. i told him what i did when he asked. again, he seemed impressed. he said he was a photographer and that along with bagging groceries, he also worked at a (a very well-known) photo studio. i'm not really a waitress came to mind, though i wasn't judging. especially on that day. but now writing that seems a little judge-y. anyway, he asked me a few more questions that led me to believe that he thought i was super fancy. i looked fancy and i guess that's enough. but i was feeling particularly disgruntled and i thought that i was projecting a different image than what i would have liked and felt. i can't remember what exactly he asked but my response was, "well, i just spent my last 20 bucks on bananas and spinach, so..." and immediately he replied, "easy come, easy go." then he handed me my grocery bag and i left.

i am still trying to think of how that even applies to what we talked about, or general appearances, or whatever. i'm sure if i thought about it long enough, i'd figure out what he meant. but for now, i have just been taking it as general life advice.

perfect fit

sometimes something comes into your life, and you don't even know how truly right it is at first. and once the dust settles, you can't imagine life without it. it's a perfect fit.

much like this crystal/turquoise beaded chandelier that i ordered from urban outfitters a few months ago, of course. it is the third chandelier in my apartment, remember this one i made a few summers ago? when it first arrived, i wasn't quite sure about it. but oh gee, it really is quite lovely. it came slightly damaged. several detached beaded strands (that were impossible to fix) caused for it to hang lopsided. but instead of sending it back, i attached a large crystal (that i inherited from my great aunt) for the perfect balance and a personal touch. 

on top

it's not really an accomplishment, but in a way, it still feels like one. this morning i was on top of the city! or more truthfully, on floor 57 of the setai in midtown for an event. but still, it sure felt like the top of the city. especially at 9am. and it beat my all-time high of the 53rd floor. 

and on that note, you couldn't pay me to go up to the top of the empire state building. i wouldn't go up there for $1,000. maybe $5,000. minimum. the thought alone gives me the chills.