one winter's night...

last night, before immersing ourselves in President Obama's stellar State of the Union Address, my absolutely delightful friend danny and i got korean food at dokebi, a restaurant in williamsburg I have been dying to try.  truly, i've been wanting to go to dokebi for nearly a year but for some reason or another, i never made it over.  anyway, last night dan and i finally went... and let me tell you, the food did not disappoint! 

we stared out with two big beers (because we deserved them after a long day) which were accompanied by a bevvy of small plates all meant to be eaten before and alongside our meal:

these nibbles included: marinated bok choy, sweet mashed potatoes with raisins, kim chi, eggplant, and a couple of other pickled items that we couldn't quite identify...

all were very tasty!

for appetizers we got some gyoza (pork dumplings) and a scallion pancake with kimchi... yummmmmm...

finally, for our main dish, we got the fun to say and fun to eat: Bi Bim Bap, a very tasty rice dish served with vegetables, mushrooms, beef (in this case), sweet/spicy korean barbecue sauce, and a fried egg on top.  bi bim bap is cooked and served in a sizzling stone bowl; while the aromatic rice gets a bit crunchy on the bottom, the rest of the dish stays warm, allowing the flavors to better-meld throughout the duration of the meal... 

dinner was delicious

the company even better

*(celebrating little Olive was also part of the night's theme which is one of my favorite things to do - thanks danny!)*
***

following it all up by watching a president i love eloquently address our country with a tone of bi-partisanship and humor was

just. the. best.  

ps - danny has a great website, too!  check out his scribbles and fantastic photos here

What Would Charlie Brown think ? Part II

Even though we never got an answer from Mr Brown when we asked that same question in December (see:  this post) I am not scared to ask him an other question. 
Ok, maybe this time he has nothing to do with it BUT there is someone to blame for this :

The BAGUETTE machine !

I say *sacrilege*, I say *Boooo*, I say *Champignon*....

Because a Christmas tree machine wasn't traumatic enough I had to find one that dispense baguettes. You put a coin you get a baguette.
 
Here is what is written on the machine :

"If you wish I could bake for you" -Yes the machine is talking to you, that is also disturbing- "an authentic baguette of 220g" -thorough-"It will be warm and crispy in less than a minute"

One word: SCARY

Ok, I have to say I was quite fascinated and almost put a coin.

Automatiquement votre 

E

more pretty things...

first of all, i'm still drooling over your last post, em.  i want to try each and every one of those macaroons.  seeing as how i am a fanatical taste-tester, what do you say to this idea: on my b-day we'll go and carefully select the most sensational flavors... then we can sit in the sun, have a fabulous picnic, and just try Try TRY a smathering of the finest parisian macaroons we can get our little hands on. ok?  ok!

pheeew!  glad i got that thought off my chest.  it was really weighing on me (haha)...

***

and now some more pretty things:
throughout my morning of research i re-discovered one of my favorite photographers: Alain Delorme.  his photography blows me away.  from the simple aesthetic beauty & wham-bam color quality of his work (that's a technical term, haha), to the socio-economic implications of/and realities that fuel his projects, Delorme is truly the master of this photographic niche.  AND miss emeline, it turns out he has a show up IN PARIS RIGHT NOW!!

Through February 19th, you can see his work at Le Bon Marché, Passerelle de l'appartement de mode, 5 rue de Babylone, PARIS. check out a few of my favorite shots from his collection "Totems" below (and if you like them as much as i do, go check out his solo show in person for me... ok? *I hope that in real life he blows his shots up big Big BIG like Misrach, wouldn't that be such fun and so fitting?!):

Pretty things

In advance I apologize for the very bad quality of the pictures.
I do have a really good camera but never take it with me when I should....

I like to go down the clichés road from time to time... 
Paris its food, its Macarons, its *hanhanhan*

Steack Tartare + French fries

 Bacon + Scallops = Yum

French Toast with salty caramel

Angelina 's macarons

"good morning new york city!"

those of us commuters who get off the train at 53rd and lex every AM are just about the luckiest commuters there are.
 
we are so lucky because when we're feeling tired, anxious, hungover, unenthusiastic, or simply _________ about the up-coming day, we are greeted by this man:

this is the AM New York newspaper hawker and he's certainly one of the best parts of my morning. 

everyday he wishes us well: a smooth day, a successful meeting, an all star interview, a lovely weekend, or whatever he chooses that particular day.  he asks "how's everybody feeling today?!" and always receives at least one "alright!" and a handful of smiles.  he shouts out what the best stories are and on what pages they can be found if passersby only have a few moments to flip through the rag.

it's amazing how a complete stranger can become an integral part of your community.

how a blurry, 45second flash in his presence can make such an impact on your day.

this man, though i don't even know his name, is part of my daily fabric;

a very bright part, in fact.

happy monDAY, new york!  happy monNIGHT, paris

when you're very lucky...

...sometimes...

*you can wake up on a saturday morning in the biggest funk that can be miraculously remedied by a perfect yoga class.

*a dinner with exceptional company can have you laughing so hard you think you might pee in your pants.

*you can dance the night away (& run into a major Major MAJOR blast from the past!) only to wake up feeling remarkably rejuvenated; ready, in fact, for 2.5hrs of yoga that you swear has changed. your. life. 
*you realize that sports journalists can write just as poetically as the rest of 'em.  the first paragraph of this piece got me for some reason.

*you can go to pulino's for a late brunch and have literally no wait! WHAT?!  (em, i'm taking you here.  it's the newest mcnally restaurant and the food is absolutely scrumptious...)

*you'll dine with a friend who likes to indulge exactly the way you do - think: breakfast pizzas, hen of the woods mushroom salads, blueberry pancakes with vanilla mascarpone, and laughter... lots and lots of laughter.

**PULINO'S**

*you realize that you don't need to be mature or sophisticated to make some of the best decisions of your life.  in fact, the me at 5years old made a brilliant decisions - and i am still friends with her nearly 20 years later!

*a perfectly ordinary weekend can wind up being extraordinary.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend!
Here's looking forward to a great week!

xxa

back to the future...

last night was the launch party for the VIP Art Fair.  the first online art fair ever... very cool!  i have to say that seeing my co-workers in action, witnessing their brilliant successes, and ultimately learning from them was truly inspiring and invigorating!  being part of an organization that helps bring great work to the masses is quite rewarding.  further, when working with art that genuinely opens up a social dialogue- piques ethical, political, and aesthetic questions and conversations- i walk out of events like these feeling rejuvenated. i simply love knowing that something really worthwhile that might not have been seen is now alive in our social sphere.  it's exciting!  (and enjoying an afterparty that gives you a mighty pat on the back for your days of nutty, cranky effort isn't so bad either!)

one of the artists whom i became completely enamored of was Hiraki Sawa.  His piece was one of the three videos playing at the launch and it was absolutely hypnotizing.  my co-worker and i couldn't get over over it... here are some stills from his 2002 video "Dwelling":

Painted Blue

Blue Valentine sounds like a very touching movie... I will sure be crying ahah. 

It made me think of this scene in my Blueberry Nights. It is actually one of my favorite movie scene (even though it is very simple).

If there is such thing as the perfect goodbye, this, to me, is one way to do it : 

beautiful pain...

i just saw a great movie: Blue Valentine.


OH. MY. GOD.  it was so beautiful and heartbreaking... anyone who has ever had a great love crumble will NO DOUBT be able to relate to the desperation both Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams's characters exhibit.  i wept my little eyes out experiencing the journey and utter catharsis that took place on screen.  the movie was lovely aesthetically, palpable emotionally.  i definitely recommend, but be prepared to walk out a little bleary eyed (or watch at home when it comes out on dvd if you're worried about crying in public).


wowwwwie!  i only wish more movies were as nuanced, barebones, and honest as this!

This NON space between us.

The other shore of the pond has never been so close.

Finally I am finding a balance and getting more confortable with the difficult distance between Paris and New York. Of course I still miss NY but my friends overseas and I have projects that makes us feel close.(*wink at you Arielle*)

Recently my amazing Friend (with a capital F) AJ started a home projects blog :  
www.handjobsforthehome.com

It is very witty, inspired and everything is super nice.

(GO GO GO suscribed to the newsletter you won't be disappointed)

Since Aj and I lived together and he knows me by heart I thought he would be the best to help me decorate my-very sad looking naked-kitchen. 
Some would say:
-'crazy idea you live accross the globe from each other' 
We answer : 
-'pffffff whatever'

Here is the plan : Pictures - skype session - bbm assistance shopping - fun!

every disaster...

...has a silver lining.  or so they say.  thank god that was the case today.  my day was not just bad, it was horrific... in every respect.

work was non-stop & high stress and personally, i had a total storm brew inside of AND descend upon me (not to mention, the weather in NYC was atrocious... it was snowing, raining, and icing all day!).  suffice it to say, there was not one point of letup in my day. and in reaction to all of my many feelings i just lost it. i was reactive, explosive, and ultimately wound up feeling mega, MEGA blue (don't worry, i didn't blow up at anyone i work with... i was able to keep it together just enough so that my colleagues were none the wiser).


truly, i didn't know what to do with myself.  and honestly, by the time i left work at 7:45, i was ready to just buy a plane ticket and bid NYC a fond farewell.

but that's when the test of a good friend comes into play.  and i have to say, my friend molly really took the reins and steered the evening.  molly had quite the day, as well, and in classic molly fashion she handled the situation with humor, hand gestures, expletives, a few hugs here and there (because i really, REALLY needed some hugging), burgers, shakes, and beers.  we hung at her charming new apartment on the upper west side and laughed and screamed about both of our days while enjoying some of shake shack's finest offerings.

*maybe i'm thankful to have some exceptional friends in my life (you and molly are really unbelievable, everyone should be so lucky to have 1 or 2 of you guys in their life... i've hit the jackpot).  
*maybe i'm thankful nyc offers such delicious foods as shake shack's shroom burger and chocolate malted milk shake.

*maybe new york's not so bad after all.  

*maybe i'll hang around a little while longer.  

*maybe.....

big and small screen delights...

all in all, i enjoyed a bang-up holiday weekend.  got my yoga on everyday, played with some fantastic friendlies, and took in my full share of what the movies had to offer.  here are the two pieces i enjoyed the most:


small screen:
the sartorialist blog is one of my absolute favorites.  i finally got to see a short he did for intel. simply the way he describes art in this day and age really hit home.  if you weren't homesick for new york, now you will be.  heck, i'm homesick for new york and i live here!  check it out:

big screen:
yesterday i had the pleasure of checking out "Somewhere," sofia coppola's new movie. the movie's strength rested upon the subtitles of the actors' techniques, the visual and physical language, in addition to the stellar cinematography. she's done it again. check out the trailer:

day dreamy...

i had a rather mellow day today...

hung, did some yoga when i was feeling a bit down (and it totally did the trick - i pepped right up), visited with my favorite italians for a few hrs (their new 3mo old is simply delicious!), and then i dreamily twirled in my apartment to this song while getting ready to go out:

frenchie, stay strong!

just keep breathing and looking forward to july

i'm in your back pocket

*the lyrics - 

at some point just close your eyes and listen... 

Ten decisions shape your life,
you'll be aware of 5 about,
7 ways to go through school,
either you're noticed or left out,
7 ways to get ahead,
7 reasons to drop round,
when i said ' I can see me in your eyes',
you said 'I can see you in my bed',     (at first i thought the lyric was "i can see you in my pants" ha... i'm NOTORIOUS for messing lyrics up...)
that's not just friendship that's romance too,
you like music we can dance to,

Sit me down,
Shut me up,
i'll calm down,
and i'll get along with you,

There is a time when we all fail,
some people take it pretty well,
some take it all out on themselves,
some they just take it out on friends,
oh everybody plays the game,
and if you don't you're called insane,

Don't don't don't don't it's not safe no more,
i've got to see you one more time,
soon you were born,
in 1984,

Sit me down,
shut me up,
i'll calm down,
and i'll get along with you,

Everybody was well dressed,
and everybody was a mess,
6 things without fail you must do,

so that your woman loves just you,
oh all the girls played mental games,
and all the guys were dressed the same,

Why not try it all,
if you only remember it once,
oooh ooooooh,

Sit me down,
shut me up,
i'll calm down,
and i'll get along with you

xxa

snow day delights..

it was too wacky getting into work today (because of the snow and all) so i wound up staying home with one of my best friends, annette, who just returned from her stay in niger - she'd been doing the peace corps for the past two years...


we had a lovely lately breakfast (once i realized there was no hope of getting to work) and enjoyed a new musical discovery.  the Narcoleptic Dancers are really pretty great despite their serious hipster-ness...

happy snow, enjoy the day! xxa

On classical music

Ted has some amazing talks. Here is one of them (you'll probably cry a little...)

FUN

   


Also totally different subject but also makes you happy :

It is all there

http://parisvsnyc.blogspot.com/

happy little life...

when i returned to bk after my weekend on the farm..

I had this note waiting for me...

and my heart felt as though it might explode!

LOVE YOU EM!

xxa

city mouse, country mouse

I love NYC.  I think that's become quite clear.  However, when I spend time out on my parents' farm in PA, I often drag my feet back to the city asking myself, "why are you leaving the pristine deliciousness of country life?!"

And yet again I am confronted with this question of identity, am I city mouse or a country mouse?  When my heart strings are pulled equally by the following conversations and articles, it's really hard to tell...

Maybe I'm just half and half... anyway, em, you take a look and tell me what you think!  Here are the items that have me soul searching due to serious love-struck-ness!

no1:

With Crazy Polaroid Glasses, Lady Gaga Seizes Neo-Pop-Art Mantle Back From Kanye

drool, drool! curious, curious, curious!

no2:

g-chat conversation with my mother, Mindy, who was describing the morning news out on the farm

i am GREEN with envy!



no3:

New York Mag's The Greatest Artwork

LOVE. end of story.

this and that, thankful friday's here

I'm so glad it's friday...

***

I'm so glad that tonight I'll return to PA to hang with the fam, baby olive, and some of shira's best college friends over the course of the weekend...

***

I'm so glad that it's snowing.  Periodically I catch a glimpse of this yummy, chilly, snowy day from inside my warm office:

**(Sorry for the junky photo, I only had my phone handy...)**

***

I'm so glad my co-worker is bouncing off the walls with me and that we've been laughing incessantly all morning

**(very little work has been accomplished...)**

***

I'm so glad that I stumbled upon this photo from this blog.  It makes me love brooklyn that much more:

***

I'm so glad I just had a bangin' Indian lunch for $4 - WHAT?!?! Amazing...

**(I'm so full it hurts... in a good way... I'm contemplating taking a nap under my desk)**

***

I'm so glad this song is stuck in my head and that I can still feel myself twirling to it (as I did this am when i was getting ready for work)

I love that I wasn't late for work despite the fact that I was WAY WAY LATE getting out of the house... because I was doing so much pre-dressing, post-shower dancing in my kitchen...

**(what can I say?  It happens to the best of us.)**

Wishing you a stellar weekend! xxa

To be continued

Arthur Miller & Marilyn by Bruce Davidson


I have been thinking of writing a post about this picture for a while. For now the text is not ready but I thought I would share the picture anyway, just for the beauty of it, just because there is something in this photograph that doesn't need word anyway. 

Rainy outside Sunny inside

Yesterday night we decided to go see a play -last minute tickets are the best - at La Comédie Française (aka the Parisian temple of theatre).

We saw Feydeau's 'Un Fil à la patte' (Fly in the Ointment I think) a classic vaudeville written in 1894 and let me tell you: it wasn't out of fashion - We had an amazing time. 

It was grey and rainy in Paris yesterday and a little depressing but for 3 hours the entire room was laughing out loud and the wall of the theatre could hardly contain the joy.

Petit Papier

On January 1st I found this in a box :

 

<3 

metro moment

just a quick thought to share for the day:

the other day my co-worker sent me a picture she took on her way to work...

you see, across the street from our office building there is a construction site and my co-worker noticed that the workers had built a snowman about 3 stories up!  just wait, it gets better...

she also realized that atop the snowman's head was a METS batting helmet!! check out the pic below!!

happy little snowy new york moment!

xxa

last night...

I dreamt...

 ...of nice

provence...

                                                              

and of course, PARIS...

                                                                                    

***

em, counting down the days until i turn 25

on bastille day

in france

with you!!

only 6months and 10 days to go!!