looking for calm

Loving this print found today via a Real Simple email about art worth investing in...

Gosling Lake
by Kurt Tong


This can be purchased from the site 20x200, which I believe I've posted about before. Click on the link if you don't remember.

Do you think I could make it work in the same room as my most recent photographic purchase?

imagining purrrrrrrrrrrrr

Today I started anti-anxiety meds and then someone sent me this:



So, you know... it's been a pretty good day.

unconditional as always

I'm loving these hilarious dogs of the tumblr site hipster puppies. Not only are they cute, but they've got great captions to go along with their "style" :-)

for tillie, having a mad men premiere party means dressing up, drinking manhattans and being totally fucking insufferable

[photo via justin g]

margi tells people she does “graphic design” for a living, but in reality does “nothing”

[photo via mark h]

penny cannot believe you put a tablespoon of butter in the pasta when she’s told you a thousand times that she’s vegan

[pic via megan b]

HAPPY FRIDAY!

XOXO

this rapunzel

(Photo: Marco Grob via NYMag.com)

Isn't she gorgeous? It's nice to see her womanly body embraced (although some will call her big - which is just plain stupid). I don't watch Mad Men, although I want to, so I'm not really familiar with her but I saw this article on the NY Magazine website and was intrigued. I just think her body is so beautiful.

sally's melted

I know that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and supposedly there will be 6 more weeks of winter... maybe for the rest of the country but not here. In SoCal it's been in the 80s lately. And although I was looking forward to Spring, I just wasn't ready for it to come this early! We were up at the snow for the long weekend and even there it was unseasonably warm. I was hoping to get to dress in cozy sweaters and lots of layers but it wasn't really that necessary. I guess a girl can dream...

image from Refinery 29
The Perfect Outfit: 4 Tricks For Cold-Weather Layering

counting down to up

The weekend of Love, the day of Leadership. But really, today marks something more important... a birthday of 2 amazingly special people. My sisters. And so...

To the 2 cut from the cloth that encases the heart of 3,

It hasn't always been easy but we fight. We fight with each other and we fight for each other. C'est la vie! I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Thank you for teaching me to let go all the while holding on for dear life. We are such different people but we share so much of the sameness . I now embrace those differences because of how much I have learned from them. I know that hasn't always been the case and I appreciate that you two don't hold it against me! But I hold dearly that we are one, in a way no one else can take from us.

You are artist and free in contrast to my type A overly organized persona. You are peaceful and still when I am overly dramatic. You are beyond smart. You are genius. You make me laugh. You make me cry. You are me and you are not me. You are my sisters.

I hope that as we grow older and wiser we will continue to grow closer. I cherish every moment I get to spend with both of you. I promise to make a continuous effort to be in your life, to be someone you can turn to, to be the sister you can love.

Enjoy this year, just the 2 of you because I'll be waiting in the decade of 3 next. I love you M & M with all my heart and I hope you know how much that truly is.

XOXO
-M

a little warm and fuzzy

I can't decide which is my favorite (I LOVE BEARS!)...

ZOMBEAR

TANOOKI

BREATHTAKING MR. BEAR

B-WOK

BEARACK

Check out this blog - King PanPan. Graphic designer and illustrator, Julius Santiago, is creating a bear illustration every day of 2010!

pretty dots go round

I saw this rug on gilt.com today and really wanted to buy it for our home office. That room is not my top priority right now but this seems to go with the color scheme/style I want... I think. Was hoping to share it with My Heart but he's been so busy at werk today that I haven't had a chance. So I'm sharing it with you! We're leaving tonight to go up to the mountain for a long ski weekend. This gilt sale ends on Monday night and I don't think I'll a) remember about it or b) have the energy to deal with it when we return. Oh well, guess it wasn't meant to be.

this oblong day

This week has been fucked up. (pardon my language) I have had a rough one but seems like it's been even harder on some others.

First and foremost, I want to send a little of my own love into the universe for Mr. Alexander McQueen. I've only recently realized how much fashion means to me... it's art. And Alex made it out of this world amazing, wearable art...

(the infamous lobster shoes - Photo: Imaxtree via New York Magazine)

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Yesterday, a man committed suicide by jumping off the Kodak Theater which is directly across from my former place of employment (My Heart's current place of employment).

So disturbing.

Then I hear about the Georgian Luger... and now a shooting!?

Puts it all into perspective. Guess my week wasn't so bad after all. Is the universe trying to tell us something though???

Oh, wait... then there's this which has been a little bit of fun to watch unfold:

(click on the image to go to the story - image from McNew/Getty via NY Daily News)

And this, apparently dogs were feeling left out of the whole twitter phenomenon so now there's Puppy Tweets.

Go figure. It's a crazy crazy world we live in.

dressing the part

I'm all in pieces but I'm so put together. It's been a rough 24 hours or so. As I'm going to put it, I got "shamed" in front of a room full of people yesterday. It was completely inappropriate, rude and childish as far as I am concerned. It was by a superior. And so I fought back just to the point of appropriate. But the attack, it was uncalled for. It made everyone around me cringe with the uncomfortable and awkward silence of just plain wrong. Of course, the girl in me welled up with tears once my accuser left the room. I hate that reaction. So unprofessional. But I held it together enough to finish my meeting and walk out of there with a mere spec of dignity still in tact.
Afterward, some avoided me but most banded around me. It was reassuring for it silenced the squeak of doubt creeping in. Am I good enough? Did I drop the ball? What am I doing!? I know that I am good at what I do. I am reminded often of that. Yesterday was no exception. And so today, I dressed up and came in ready to conquer the world. I feel great. I am great. Sure, there are problems but nothing I created and nothing I can fix on my own. I will be a part of the solution and do what I can to make this a better environment for those I work with but then again, I kinda always do that.

And so I want to know, Where kind I find these absolutely fab shoes ...Love Maegan has on in today's post!? Those will definitely help me dress the part. XOXO

enter if you dare, keg's out back

I know this post is months too late but that's what happens when you go on hiatus. Just appreciate the fact that I'm actually writing again alright!?

I don't know if it has always been the case, but I think that Halloween is my favorite holiday. I'm pretty sure I've blogged that before. I remember posting my smurf costume from the early eighties... one of the greatest costumes ever to exist! If memory serves right, my parents always went all out for us when it came to Halloween costumes. And of course my co-pilot loves Halloween even more than I do! So it was no surprise when he suggested that our first major party in the new house be a giant Halloween bash.

I personally think we went all out! With a pretty big budget spent mainly on decorations, there was also plenty of food, a full bar and a keg. Our theme was Haunted Hill Asylum, from the minute you walked up to our house and throughout every room, even out in the backyard. Unfortunately, I am constantly hosting so I didn't take any photographs of the party itself. My Heart did snap some great shots of what the house looked like pre-guests (including the 2 doctors and the one mental patient! link to those after the photos), but what's missing are shots of some of the key details; the entrance to the house and the operating table for example. Here's a peak...

Upstairs, food and lounge area

Insane Clown Doctor (he ended up in pieces at the end of the night)

Downstairs, the Meat Shop

Death

The Cemetery

Let me tell you, this took months to plan and weeks to decorate. I hated being in the house all alone with some of these creepy guys! To check out ALL the photos that My Heart took follow this link to our Mobile Me Gallery.

just a quickie

I've got Friday Fever! I just wanna get out of this office and on with my weekend!

It's been a strange week over here. Work has been crazy busy and so has life it seems.

We went to this awesome Haiti benefit that Tenacious D and friends put on at the Wiltern on Tuesday. It was long but really a bunch of fun. Since it was on Tuesday, we went straight home and watched the season premiere of Lost which was 2 hours long. My Heart didn't want it to be spoiled so we had to watch it before going into work on Wednesday. It made for a VERY long Tuesday night!

Wednesday I had dinner with 2 of my favorite ladies in all of the world. It was such a great night, like it always is with them. But of course I was in bed past my bedtime that night too!

Yesterday was just sucky - I felt like I was coming down with a stomach flu or something. Got lots of rest.

And today is FRIDAY! I'm looking forward to a fun filled weekend of new furniture, puppies and Super Bowl parties. How about you?

P.S.
We bought a new dining room table! Now we just need some chairs. I'm thinking along the lines of something like a Parsons chair in apple green. These came up on my search but I'm not sure if I'm loving them:

how sweet the sound

Things have been so busy again at werk that I haven't had a chance to check the usual suspects (my blog love). So yesterday was a bit of catching up. And while I am almost always in love with his photographs, this week The Sartorialist had me loving his writing:

A Graceful Man, A Gentleman

Thanks everyone for all your great suggestions on books about modern manners. I can't wait to get a few and brush up on a few things before my next big dinner party.

For me, this is blogging at it's best. Being able to create a community of individuals that share information and ideas that can make the community as a whole a better place. Thank you.

One of the things I mentioned yesterday, was the "manner" of a person. "Manner" or "grace" is not something that you can learn from a book. Unfortunately, it is something you just have to be or to develop.

A great scene of modern grace on '30 Rock' the other day:

Liz and Jack went out to dinner at a very chic restaurant. As they sat down at the table, Jack immediately moved the candle from the center of the setting to the side of the table. Liz looked at him kinda funny, not understanding why he did that but, not really caring either. Later, however, when Liz reached across the table to steal some of Jack's food (as she always does), she realized he moved the candle so her sleeve wouldn't catch fire when she reached across the table. Jack's manner and grace were so attuned to her as a friend, that he knew her moves before she did. That tiny gesture ended up becoming the pivotal moment of the episode and changed the course of their business relationship.

I'm telling you guys again, women notice the small stuff. They notice the gentleness/gentlemenliness more than if you use the right fork at dinner. I'm a very lucky man, Garance notices every little kindness I offer her, she doesn't miss a thing. Knowing that makes it so much more rewarding to do even more little things for her. I'll be honest, my biggest obsession in life right now is not better shoes, more suits or a bigger career but, to simply be a more graceful man for my graceful woman.

So women, in the spirit of grace, manner and Valentine's Day, take a moment and share with us men some of the little kindnesses that your man has done for you that made your heart flutter. Us men might learn something and you might gain an even more graceful man, a gentleman.

Editor's Note: For my gay readers, I can only write this as I know it, a man loving a woman. Don't let this keep you from joining the conversation. If you have tiny acts of kindness from a boyfriend to a boyfriend, or girlfriend to a girlfriend, please share with us!
Grace is Grace.
It doesn't matter who you're lovin', it's how you're lovin'!

And so it is, I will share with you My Heart's most recent act of grace..

We have been eating healthy, counting calories and working out as a team the past couple of weeks. More for my benefit than his but all around a good thing (and an act of grace in itself).

This past weekend My Heart's parents were in town and we knew we would be too busy to work out and probably going out to eat for almost every meal. My goal going into the weekend was to avoid temptation and mainly focus on portion control.

I thought I had done okay until Monday when I got an email from My Heart and then I knew I had done okay. He not only told me how proud he was of me, how much he loved me and how fun the weekend had been but he specifically pointed out what a great job I did abstaining from bad foods and what great willpower I showed with my portions. Ending the email with, "Great job with everything and thanks for picking me as your co-pilot."

It was so nice to not only feel appreciated but to be recognized for working hard at something. And of course his sweet way of telling me made my heart well with so much love for him.

Sorry My Heart, if this was too much information to share with a public audience but I want you to feel recognized for your amazing grace as my co-pilot. I love you.

i die (for those shoes)

Have you seen this?

Ferragamo just launched a revamped version of their website. The homepage image is absolutely stunning. It reminds me that Spring is just around the corner and although that doesn't mean too much weather-wise here in LA, it does mean... A new bloom. A fresh start. A sweet awakening. Everything dew covered and clean again. Endings turned into beginnings. Life. If only I could steal away to gay Paris for a week or two to watch the Spring unveil itself and life transition.

bringing out the wolf

Wow, you guys should really check out my sister's blog, The Garden of Minna, for her most recent post entitled Distant. My sisters have always been very artistic as you'll see by the photo at The Garden. I thought it was so beautiful I ordered a 20x30 print of it to frame and hang in our bedroom. Bravo sister! I'm proud of your work and can't wait to display it in our home. I'm glad I got it now while it's still free. Before you know it I think my sister will be selling some of her amazing art. Love you sis! XOXO

fudge is made

If you follow me on Twitter or you are my friend on FB you will know that I want NOTHING to do with the new iPad. It seems like a useless piece of old technology. Besides, Apple lost me with the iPhone, it's not even a good phone! But apparently Pee Wee Herman doesn't feel the same way...

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman

*One thing that made me laugh out loud is about 1:50 in... I tweeted the exact same thing yesterday - aaahhhh, 8 year old humor! ;-)

gashlycrumb tinies

These are my maternal grandparents. How cute are they!? My sister posted these on FB and the family has been re-posting them. There have been comments about how so and so looks like Grandma or this cousin looks like Grandpa. I have been neither so and so nor this cousin. I do not resemble my mother's side of the family. That kind of makes me feel left out. My younger sisters are twins so they've got that going for them. But they also look like Grandma. As does my Mom. And they all 3 share a middle name. I am the green kangaroo. I am different. I suppose that is good but it is also sad.

I am not feeling sorry for myself. I like who I am. I am my father's daughter through and through. His mother was a beautiful piano player and his father is endlessly caring. They are beautiful, my father's side, and I too feel beautiful on days because I am one of them.

Don't really know where this post is going but it came from this sweet picture of the cutest 2 kids who met, fell in love and created a life without which I would not exist. So I guess I'll end it there.

simply complicated lemonade

Usually videos get passed around the internet for a couple of generations before my family catches on to the phenomenon that they are (sorry family). So I was surprised when one of my uncles sent me an email with this beauty attached as it was new to me. Enjoy.

This video shows the winner of 2009’s “ Ukraine ’s Got Talent," Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent is mesmeric to watch.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about $75,000.

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.

It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.

She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.

In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine , resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

An art critic said: "I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment."

today i will tug

Do you watch Bored To Death? It really is a great show. Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis are very funny. But you know who steals the show? Ted Danson. He's amazing. I never really gave him a second thought until this show. Now I want to get a big dog and name him Ted Danson. Wouldn't that be just super great? Problem is with big dogs comes big appetites and big poops! Besides, with 3 smaller animals in the house a large dog might be dangerous.

My Heart and I started looking at the local shelters for a new addition to our family but we haven't found the right one just yet. I however, have been looking at some local rescue websites and I think I might have found a few contenders! Tell me what you think of these guys (all their photos are links to their webpages if you just click)...




Moose aka Ted Danson

Hedwig aka Ted Danson

Salt aka Ted Danson

Tobasco aka Ted Danson

Mustard aka Ted Danson

Sprout aka Ted Danson

Polly Pocket aka Ted Danson

Tao aka Ted Danson

I think anyone of these might be a good fit in our home. If you're looking to add a new member to your family I suggest the local shelter or rescue organization. With so many people out of work these days the first to go is oftentimes the family pet.

melted ice caps

Grrrrr

That's the sound I make whenever someone mentions Ticketmaster.

Last year we bought tickets to see a revival of PeeWee's Playhouse on stage at a small venue here in LA. It was a very limited engagement and a very intimate location. Then we got an email from the evil that is Ticketmaster saying they were changing dates and venue. We were supposed to be able to call a phone number at a certain time on a certain date to exchange our tickets. Of course that was a fiasco and I was so angry that I ended up just getting a refund instead.

Cut to 3 months later when the show is now running and everyone I know is going to see it. They're loving it but at this point I'm still too angry to care.

Then my friend JC IMs me that if you exchanged your tickets from the old show you get to have a meet and greet with PeeWee after the new show. Anger level rises.

Then PeeWee posts a video of part of the show on his facebook page.

I'm still angry but now I'm feeling a tinge of regret.

And then PeeWee shows up on Conan:



That was when I set my anger aside. I gave in and immediately started looking for tickets. I was able to secure 5th row center for last Friday night's show. And it was totally worth it.

I felt like a kid again, couldn't stop smiling and laughing. Everyone really did a great job. Everything you remember from the original show and more. It was so much fun and really very lively, keeping the audience tuned in the entire time. The set was spot on and so was Paul Reubens. I could have cried it was so perfect.

I only wish that I had originally done the exchange so we could have gone to the meet and greet afterward. But what really do I have to ask PeeWee Herman? So all is forgiven. At least as far as PeeWee is concerned. Ticketmaster, now that is a different story.