Absolut Kanye

On Friday's commute, I stared at this ad for at least three dumbstruck minutes - until I noticed tiny lettering on the side marked this as an ad for Absolut Vodka. And then I freaked out my fellow riders by snapping a picture. -A

Waiting for the M31

Shot this while waiting for the M31 bus - a somewhat mythical creature, which conveniently runs from West 57th Street to the east side near our apartment, though not always when we wish to take it. (It came eventually, this time.) Right before a summer rainstorm... -A

Fashion Epiphany

One day, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head as I gazed into my closet - hey, I love cardigans! Also, I work in an office which insists on being 55 degrees year-round... so why do I not own more of this fabulous layering item?

So I bought the first one from the Gap - comfy AND affordable. (In fact, I may soon own it in multiple colors...) And I'm eyeing the second at JCrew... loving the orange, but may need to head to the store for a little in-person reality check on whether that color and my pale skin play together nicely. And people, who knows WHAT craziness will ensue come fall... -A

Ikea Knappa Tulpan Lamp

It's a little unreasonable how much I love our new lamp. But Heron understands.

I think.

-A

Be Kind Rewind

Rent Be Kind Rewind - this movie made us laugh out loud harder than any we've seen in awhile. It's perfectly cast, and showcases Jack Black's talents without the strained ZANINESS seen in his more commercial movies... Mos Def and Danny Glover are also fantastic.

If you saw it in the theatres, rent it for the mini-documentary on filming in Passaic, NJ... incredibly sweet. -A

Map-tastic Tiles

When we finally own a bathroom, these will be going up in the shower. And then I will finally be able to learn all the world capitals and kick butt in car trip games.

Wall tiles by digitile, seen on the style files... -A

Sad Realities

I found the perfect wedding shoes on east side bride. They match my ivory-and-champagne dress. They are flat, befitting our plans to be married outside on a grass lawn. They are sequined, as are all things in my perfect world.

Given all that, should it really matter they cost as much as my dress?

I mean, it's not like I haven't ever paid significantly more for shoes than the outfit they went with. Of course, that was when I wore an $8 dress to the high school prom... slightly different circumstances. -A

TV-gasm

Flat. Screen. TV. Dilated pupils. Increased heart rate. Repetitive motion for continuous button pushing. Stupid smirk on face.

Yes, I am a tech geek. Hear me roar. -H

Dynamic is not Static

It's a funny thing how some things never change. In such a fast-paced world, where everything is super dynamic, information feeds through the pipeline, and you're forced to anticipate and react instantaneously, change is inevitable.

Today, your portfolio is riding high. Tomorrow, you could be bottoming out.
This morning, your project is on track. One hour later, you're putting out fires for a client.
Now, you feel like taking the subway downtown. A second later, the sheer number of people at the station forces you to cab it.

Change is inevitable. Things don't remain static. They can't. It's the nature of the beast.

Except for the BQE.

For those who are fortunate enough to NOT have to deal with THAT beast, the BQE is the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. The BQE is, essentially, a fossil. Unchanged, constant, trapped in its own world.

I refer not to its physical nature, but to its temperament. Simply put, the BQE is a bitch.

It doesn't matter what you do, when you decide to drive on it, how you decided to get there, the BQE will find a way to be a parking lot. Holiday weekend? Jammed. Everyone driving smoothly? Jammed. 3 AM and no DOT road work? Jammed. You sit there looking for a reason why the road is packed, and when you inevitably hit 30 mph, when you think, "Here's why traffic's been stoopid" you get nothing. Nada. Zip. Traffic just picks up.

Maybe it's tired of being a highway. Maybe it aspired to be a parking lot when it was younger. Maybe it just gets incredible happiness from essentially turning a 13-mile stretch of 6-lane highway into a veritable source of global warming.

Me and the BQE have been on a break for a couple years, and now I remember why... When driving from Brooklyn, traffic was at a maximum speed limit of 10 mph. With no let up after 5 miles, I hopped on to the Manhattan Bridge. No doubt the parking lot extended up to at least the LIE. This was of course, at 11 PM.

BQE, I hate you. Don't call. I'm not answering. -H

Happy 4th of July!