"woven pillow" ornament handmade for a holiday ornament swap '07
I used my flower photos as a background for them.

Flower boxes

I love these bowed out window guards that allow for pretty flower boxes.
I wish more buildings would use this type of window guard especially for windows close to the street. It reminds me of Europe.

1am block party

The kids in the neighborhood have been partying since 1am in front of our apt building. The car has its passenger doors wide open and rap music is BLASTING out. The voices echo across our double wide street with no respect for the surrounding buildings and its tenants that may want to get some shut-eye.

By 1:30am with the music still loud, I couldn't take it any more, got dressed and walked downstairs to confront whomever... Luckily, I recognized the son of a man who is leading the fight against Columbia University's construction, and told him that I worked tmrw morning and could they turn down the music. He apologized and the music was turned off. I thanked him and went back upstairs.

I was trying to get back to sleep to no avail... Wishful thinking on my part... 2:15am rolls around, I am wide awake and the car stereo has been turned on with the volume getting louder by each song. The crowd also seems to have gotten bigger, louder and more rowdy.

It is now 3:36am and they are still out there... A party cannot end until there is the sound of glass bottles shattering on our sidewalks which will lay there until late morning for all of us to see & tiptoe through. Unfortunately we have a small park with steps leading from Tiemann place to Riverside Drive which makes it a nice place to sit and gab...

My alarm will go off at 7:30am. I am getting a bit sleepy but don't know if I will fall asleep faster in this chair or in my bed.

The car has finally moved off and though there seems to be stragglers hanging around...

"To Do" project in Dumbo

San Francisco was FANTASTIC!! What an amazing trip! I lucked out with the weather which was glorious especially down in Burlingame where Corrina lives.

This photo captures the color and playfulness of my trip. I settled into Corrina's children's routine which was a refreshing experience. I was chipper in the mornings and a good feeling exhausted in the evenings.

San Francisco

I've been in California for the past week visiting with a girlfriend and her family and absolutely loving it. We've had only one overcast morning andby the time I reached Sausalito the fog had burned off and we had sunshine for the rest of the day. Had a delicious dinner out in the Mission called Blue Plate. The staff were very nice and atmosphere was friendly.

I lived in San Francisco 5 years ago for 4 years and haven't been back in 2 so I am visiting old haunts and neighborhoods. I've had lunch with former colleagues in South Park, seen the studio of a jewelry vendor of Cursive's and a Swedish girlfriend who moved back to Stockholm, is now married and has two children and moved back to Sausalito at the beginning of this year. She and her family will stay just for a few years before returning to Sweden.

The pace of California is so much more simple it seems and one cannot beat the weather. I leave on Tuesday evening so my next 3 days is packed to the gills. Thank goodness I've been waking up early with my friend's children so the day seems to stretch before us.

I am seeing, hopefully, 3 of my girlfriends with children (who all live in the Bay area) for a playdate at my girlfriend's house this afternoon. I've taken tons of photos and can't wait to share them with friends and family.

cheers for now!

I was at my parents' apt for dinner on Tuesday evening and enjoyed a delicious meal of steamed chicken with preserved olives and shrimp in lobster sauce! (not actual lobster but the sauce that one makes if you were making lobster Chinese style...) One of my favorite dishes!

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The aloe plant on the left is at my parents' apt and the plant on the right was taken on Sunday in front of a townhouse in the West Village. Both are overgrown and look like distant cousins of Cousin It!

Closet mania!

It's a brisk and very bright sunny Sunday and I am waiting for my friend Rob to arrive to the apt. I've asked him to help me put my elfa closet onto my wall. It's exactly 6 months to the day that I bought my elfa closet and now it will be going up today, Wahoooooo!

It's that time of year again for me... the 2007 Zero Tolerance Benefit for Sanctuary for Families. This gives me an opportunity to let friends and family know what I've been working on these past few months. I love the invitation this year!

another tote snapshot

I love this bag. I love the stripes and the shape of it. I love that it is water resistant or looks like it would be... I'm not quite sure why I love bags or when my love for bags began but I do have several favorite totes that I love to schlep around the Big Apple with all my necessities in order for me to function throughout the day... The tote above is by Luisa Cevese.

Gorgeous Sunday

What a glorious day it was on Sunday. I had brunch with friends at Agata & Valentina, 79th Street & 1st Avenue, and then we walked over to The Met to see some art. It was so croweded inside, and not enough air, that we spent most of the afternoon on the steps watching people go by. Some window shopping and a nice catch-up chat with my friends and I didn't get home until 7pm. Hopefully the weather will stay warm and the cold fronts have by-passed the city!

Happy Thursday

You're trapped in a well with a goat and a slinky.
Describe how you will escape.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

President's Day

Have you ever had your day planned, written out a list of errands to do (though they all are around your work neighborhood) when one errand can only happen if you find the thing to do the errand for and you can't find that one thing so everything falls to pieces? Or is this just called procrastination?! I don't think so...

But why do I want to go all the way downtown to do all these errands when I could easily do them tmrw when I am in the area already for work. And this is my last TRUE day off for the next month as one of my sales associates is going to France for a month to visit her elderly mother and see friends. So I am going to attack my room with gusto and clear my room of excess paper and stuff while it's bright and sunny in the apt and my energy levels are high!

Whew... time for my coffee...
cheers!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The general manager of ABC came around Wed afternoon with a box of cupcakes for all the employees. They were really yummy!

Happy end of January!

It's been a whirlwind month. I was in Egypt for 2 1/2 weeks attending a wedding and then went on a boat trip on the Nile. That was pretty fabulous! 2670 digital photos taken and I've only edited up to 400! Goodness gracious!

We are the middle of a trade show so I've been a bit lazy about updating this blog but will upload some photos of my trip soon.

I am working the trade show and will most likely walk it tomorrow, I hope. I have many friends who are exhibiting there and would like to stop by and say hello. AND also try and scout out some vendors for Cursive. It's a big show and one needs to work fast... we will see.

ciao for now...