Happy Halloween

off to see the family be back next week

Off to see some music tonight

Ray LaMontagne at the Wiltern

I mentioned in conversation that I had tickets at the end of the month when my guy was around recently and he got sort of sad that I hadn't asked him to go with me. So I told him who I was going to see. "The tickets are for the guy you describe as "the whiney asshole" I didn't think you would want to go, plus you're at school anyway". "Oh that douchebag? Yah, I would rather stick needles in my eyes" As you can see, we agree on everything but music. I obviously have good taste and his...I'm not sure what to describe it as, possibly "upstate New York" would be appropriate

But my on and off music boyfriend John Mayer agrees with me, and we all know he has GREAT taste - except in women. Stay away from the blondes John...haven't you learned your lesson yet? Raven haired beauties, such as Moi are the only way to go.

From John Mayer Blog:
I think Ray LaMontagne is as brilliant as any artist that has ever lived.
Wait, let me think about that again. That came off pretty bold.
Nope, that's still what I want to say. Ray LaMontagne is as brilliant as any artist that has ever lived.
And he's getting better; tighter, more focused, more self-assured.

New Technology Fear

up until Sunday evening I used a cell phone from the dinosaur ages like 1990 or something. I'm not joking. It was a Nokia block of love It's about 3" thick it weighed like 50lbs It might as well been attached to my car it was so old [remember those?]. The kid that helped me at the store looked at me like I was insane. "how did you live this long with this phone? He said." But the thing is it worked GREAT. Simple, no crazy buttons, no speaker phone, no flip this up to whatever, talk and junk. No Frills. But the thing was that mine was on it's last leg and there are times when I need a camera on my phone for work if I don't schlep my big Nikon with me. There are times I need to access my email when I'm places. I don't have a laptop so I decided that the iphone would take that place because the iphone is 199$ and a laptop, well, isn't.

I hate the learning curve of new technology...it's just so much work to learn something new. I don't own a DVR for this reason. My brain can't handle one more tech thing to figure out. I loose brain cells when I have to put that much effort into anything. Lord knows how I ended up working for Apartment Therapy and blogging. Just the small amounts of code involved in this is STRESSFUL. I had to hook up a computer at the office this week and I wanted to lay down and take a nap after. I felt like I had run a marathon.

So knowing this you shouldn't be surprised that with technology purchases I am slow, I'm a "I'll go check it out and then think about it for 4 months sort of person". during that time I ask other people who have one how they like it. I will ponder the purchase every day during that time. I will talk myself out of it 3 days out of the 7. Then at about the 4 month period I get sick of thinking about it and I just do it or I don't. "My block of love" as I called it was fast approaching a duct tape moment. So I caved, I went mostly because I was over the thinking about it part.

What I can say is this. How the hell did I live without this thing ? Seriously, I just checked my email from the toilet. That's meant to make you laugh but really, I was kinda surfing Perez Hilton. This is going to be bad for me. I will forever be locked into this thing. I will have it attached to my body, maybe embedded. I am in love with my phone.

So there you have it. Love. Mac once again is friggin brilliant.

Bargain Hunting with expensive taste

I need a new couch. I also need a pair of black boots for the winter. I am a picky art-damaged woman. I do not want a cheesy ass-couch or pleather boots, I want a really chunky, expensive looking total-super-baragin-couch. I want a VERY specific boot with fine leather and a heel that is neither chunky nor spike. It needs to have an elegant heel about 1". I have located such a boot but it's $900. It has not made it past the current season to my bargin bin just yet. I might also add that I want the couch to be a sectional, I want it to be a neutral, I would prefer it to have tapered wooden legs like a vintage mid-century piece. I cannot find all of these qualities in a couch that is not 5k. Here-in lies the problem that plagues all of my days.

This lovely grey sectional from CB2 is almost there.

I want very specific things when I go looking for most anything, generally these things are expensive because the only people that "get" what I want, and want it to look like, are other artists and craftsmen/women. This has plagued me since I was little. I have a knack for picking the most expensive thing up [or what once was the most expensive thing] Much to my mom's disgust I might add. School shopping was a lesson in patience for me, arguments for her. I wanted what I wanted. And she would end up saying "well you'll only have one pair of pants to wear to school then". This might explain my obsession with clothes as an adult. I want what I want.


these Tory Burch boots are kind-of it. but I don't like the gold detail on the heel and I don't really want the big mark on the side. and I kinda want the heel to be a little more elegant.

I recently told someone that most of my clothes and shoes come from Marshall's or Loehmann's [local discount stores] and they were shocked. Oh yes, I very rarely spend over $40 for most anything. I go shopping once a week, it's my Friday treat to myself. Sometimes I go to both stores in the same night if I'm really going big. Some weeks I find nothing, some weeks it's like a treasure chest. It takes work. It takes patience, it takes weeding through rows of crap to find the Theory sweater marked down from $240 to $39. I don't care if it's from last season. It's going to be black or grey anyway no one that I hang out with will know it's from last season. Only the girlfriend who's a buyer in LA will and I don't see her much anyway. Stick with classics, stick with great fabrics, channel Tim Gunn. Buy a trench coat at the end of a season...it will survive till the next and you'll look fab.

This boot by Apepazza is closer but I'm just not sure...but at $294 it's the most reasonably priced thing I've liked.

Where am I going with this? I have no idea. but the grey couch is almost it. If it just had the mid century legs. If only I could find it as a sample discounted 40% or maybe from a model home at 50%. That, that would be PERFECT. And the Anya Hindmarch boots from last season that were $800 but were sold out. If someone is a 9.5 and would like to sell me the pair that they put in the closet and really don't like anyway? I'll totally take them off your hands for like $250. I'm not asking for much now am I?

Outta words currently...

It seems to be a plague spreading madly amongst us bloggers as I've seen 2 or 3 posts recently about this. Maybe it's the time of year, perhaps it's a lack of chocolate in our diets. You know that being chocolate deficient has been shown to leave women speechless. Well, maybe not speechless but you really don't want that sort of speech anyway.

So, regardless, I'm out of fab words. I'll be posting some mind numbingly light fare this week and then Friday I'm getting on a plane and going home to visit the family. Go trick or treating with the kiddies, you know the drill. Maybe I'll have more words when I knock one of the kids down and take all their good candy.

Manolo Blahnik and milkshakes

Yes, I'm a freak about shoes, you can say it. I saw this video over at Fashionista today. I had never seen his face before so incase you are as curious as I am. He has quite a stunning collection he's put together over the years.

Love that he has a thing for milkshakes he's on his second by the time the interview begins.

New In the studio - JoAnn's 60th surprise party

See the whole suite here

Perfection is so boring

I use to think that you could only be beautiful if you were perfect. I have since figured out that beauty is really in the imperfection. Scott Schuman's photo he posted of Lauren Hutton at the Calvin Klein show is really the "perfect" example of this. Have you ever seen someone SO beautiful? This is what real women look like. It makes me less scared for the lines that are marching...

photo credit: Scott Schuman for The Sartorialist.

Because it's important for young people struggling to know.

The movie about Harvey Milk's life is coming out soon starring Sean Penn directed by Gus Van Sant. From everything I have seen it looks like it will be an amazing movie about an amazing man. If you don't know much about him here is a you tube clip a friend sent me today. He was the first openly gay politician in San Francisco. I think it is important for this information to be out there for young people/ teens. Knowing you're not the only one must be such a relief.

For the preview of the movie click here

William Claxton 1927-2008

Chet Baker photograph by William Claxton.

When I first began working for my boss, I started as an intern where I would do all the schelpy things interns do. I didn't care really, I was happy to do them all just to be around IT. And every once in a while I got to do something of interest, where I could learn. One of those things was a project we were working on for a audiofile company, who's name escapes me at the moment but we were doing some collateral pieces for them and my boss really wanted to use a William Claxton photo so he asked me call him and then fax him a request. I didn't know who William Claxton was, I assumed he was like the other photographers who came to see us on a regular basis. Now I know.


chet baker 1954 available from the Fahey/ Klein Gallery

It's sort of like I walked up to Ansel Adams' door and just knocked and said "hey there mister, ummmm I like those em' photos ur-a-takin' du ya think I could have one? holy.mother.of.eggplant.

My poor boss. He was a little stunned to realize that I had faxed the request, in my handwriting, I might add and no one proofed it, spell checked it or anything. I can tell you that I'm sure there were at least 3 misspelled words. That's sort of how I roll. oh gawd, I cringe just thinking about it. Learning. I was learning.

Drummer Elvin Jones outside Birdland, Manhattan, New York City. Photo: William Claxton

We got the image rights though, thankfully and now I know who William Claxton is and now I know how close my brush with greatness was. Funny how you don't know it till it's passed.

From the Taschen site:
In 1952, while a student at UCLA, Claxton began to photograph a young and unknown trumpet player named Chet Baker. The resulting collection of images from these sessions has become known throughout the world of jazz music.

Since his early career – shooting for Life, Paris Match, and Vogue, among other magazines – Claxton has worked with and become friends with many Hollywood luminaries, including Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen. Well-known in the recording world, Claxton is one of the founding members of The Recording Academy, producers of the Grammy Awards. In 2003, he was awarded the distinguished Lucie at the International Photography Awards.

In the 1960s, Claxton collaborated with his wife, the noted fashion model Peggy Moffitt, to create a stunning collection of iconic fashion images featuring the revolutionary designs of Rudi Gernreich. A Claxton-directed film from the era, Basic Black, is considered by many to be the first "fashion video" and is now part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. To this day, the Claxton/Moffitt/Gernreich images from this era continue to be hailed as masterful examples of modern style. As the author of thirteen books and subject of dozens of exhibitions, William Claxton enjoyed a worldwide audience for his work.

William Claxton passed away October 11th in Los Angeles. He is survived by his wife Peggy Moffitt and his son Christopher.

And Back To Our Normal Broadcasting...

A big thumbs up to the High Heel Flare Jean from JCrew, which I bought this weekend.

It has a little higher of a waist band to keep the muffin-inside-the-top. A little bit of stretch to let the muffin breathe and a nice dark wash to look like the muffin isn't there as much as it really is. I think I want a pair in every color but since my heel days are all but about gone, I think they will be hemmed to work with the stylish wedges that I've been relegated to.

$98 which these days of $200 pr of jeans and up is a friggin steal!

I'm Turning Red I Think

If you know me, you'll know I don't like to draw attention to myself. I like to be noticed, but lord help me if the whole room stops and turns around. I turn red...really red and the more I know I'm turning red...the more I turn red. It's horrid cycle.



But today, I'm going to stand up and chance the turning red part to tell you. I'm really excited to say that Daily Candy Los Angeles gave me props today as their 2008 Fall Wedding Guide Stationery Recommend.

I was trying to explain to my mom what Daily Candy is, or what it means to me. And I said, "Mom, It's kinda like being invited to be on the Oprah show but this is on the web". Of course, Oprah, I would love to be on your show too. I'll totally turn red for you, I don't even care.

So, I spent the evening spiffing up the ol' paper site, getting ready for the company that's about to come over and look around the old house. I added a couple of new things in there possibly a photo or two you haven't seen, maybe one of moi if you are patient. So, I hope you go over to take a look today. It would make me so happy to know that you did.

Thanks for letting me turn red with you, now I'm going to go splash water on my face and hide in the bathroom until I get back to normal.

New In the studio - Baby Dugan

Cutie Pie Baby Dugan baby announcement was finished this week. Mom wanted space to include a photo.
Letterpressed, two color run on Lettra paper. Matching return address label, digitally printed

New In the studio - Microsoft

Ok, so this job is sort of funny. Just a key card to the hotel rooms, but it is for Microsoft so I'm a tiny bit proud of it. It was a production job as the elements had already been designed and a friend who was producing the conference needed someone to put the files together with just a little bit of a design-y eye to make it look good.

The other part of this which is hilarious, to me at least...it was all created on Apple products and Apple specific software. You can't do that in Word folks.

And because this is just wonderful

great ad
great sentiment
and great use of type if I might add.

Thanks Sherri for sending it to me.

Because I can't stop laughing

From the Fug Girls:
I actually think LC looks kind of great here. But for one thing: "A Cougar Stole My Man." PLEASE TELL ME THEY MEAN AN ACTUAL COUGAR. I want to read that story.

I think it's more like "A dingo took my baby"

God Bless Cosmo it is the truest cougar of them all.

I can recommend...Anya Hindmarch collection at Target

Forgive me I'm a bit obsessed. I have wanted an Anya bag for the past 2 years now. Since they start at about $1000 I never have gone down that road. Target heard my call of love though and booked her. Yes, I'm one of the crazies that went Sunday morning to see them. Sadly, my local ghetto target workers were hungover from a Saturday night binge and decided she told me "to pull them out in the afternoon". "But! but! ... I came here this morning just for the bags!" She could have given one rats ass what I came there for. I went back Monday night.


I really, really loved the Large Python Shoulder bagbut I was a bit nervous I would actually fill it. It's hot! $49.99 You could put a small child in it if need be. I ended up with the medium size.

May also get the clutch. because you never know when you'll need a nice clutch right? $19.99


But I am also really loving the navy and black one. $29.99


Perhaps one a week...you know to get the whole collection? It's a sickness, really you can say it.

The What If's

Earlier this summer I had an emergency surgery for a kidney thingy I told you all about that- tube twisted up - dealio. They straightened the plumbing out so to speak and I was on my way to mending. I got a finishing CT scan at the end so they could verify things were staying where they were suppose to. My doctor emailed me to say things looked fine but he wanted to have a cyst checked out on an ovary that had changed in size between scans. ok. sure. cyst. fine. will. go. to doctor.


So I go to the doctor's and get my utrasound on. Things look fine she says, normal size change with hormones. But this thing, this one here, as she points to something big on the screen, I would like to biopsy. She begins asking questions. Do you have this symptom, or this one? Ok. Sure. biopsy. fine. will. come. back. I'm busy. really busy, so busy I don't have time for this appointment busy. Sure, I'll come back in two months, sure I'll call. Ok, great. See you soon, bye.

Busy. Busy. Busy...working till 7... and it starts. What if?....as the words become more real.... Biopsy.... Girl-parts..... Call me crazy but those are two words you don't want to hear together. A few days later I call back to the doctor. I ask, Can we do it next month? not in two? Because the what-if's they're starting to creep in about every 30 min now. And I begin to think of what I would do differently if it was true.


Would I quit my job and travel around the world? No. Would I throw all my girl parts out or salvage them? Would I give up my hair? sure. Would I regret anything? maybe not going to Paris this year like I wanted What would I do differently...maybe less Splenda. Yes, I would give up Splenda because that's probably what caused it. Who knows what's in that crap! I would only drink green tea. Yes, that's it, Green Tea would be my answer. I would only eat organic. Yes, and maybe I'll give up chocolate. Ok, not chocolate but alcohol. Yes, I can give that up. My mind spins every moment I'm not busy.

My brain spins for 30+ days and nights. A biopsy, another high tech ultra sound where the tech tilts her head to the side, as if to say "oh my god what is that?" she leans into the monitor and repeats the pattern on my girl parts to look again. She does not say a word and I don't ask. I don't want to know yet, and I know she's not allowed to talk. I. totally. have. cancer. I'm convinced of it now. Planning the conversation to family and friends. Possibly an email blast, so they all read it at the same time. Yes, an email blast would be appropriate I don't want the news to travel without me and my say in it. Maybe they can rescue my girl parts, maybe I'll just take them all out and throw them in the trash, I don't want them anymore. They are trouble...those things. I fully expected it to be bad news. I don't have good luck with any of my parts they all pretty much give me grief on any given day. This would have been just another day in my bad-parts-sort-of-life.

Back to the doctor to discover the news and things gratefully are fine. But are they? Maybe I should give up Splenda, and maybe I should drink green tea instead of my beloved coffee each morning. Maybe the microwave popcorn I eat for dinner many nights...maybe I should give that up - none of it is good for me.

So, I have taken up green tea in the afternoon so far with organic agave sweetener. After my caffeine crash a week or two ago that sent me on an eating rampage I can't go cold turkey. I have to begin slowly. And the microwave popcorn...only once since that time and I found an "natural" one at Trader Joes. That counts for something right? Because maybe I don't have to have another what-if moment. I hope I don't. I hope you don't either. But odds are, one of us will.

What if? what would you do different today?

Holy Shit Chicken Little, The Sky is REALLY falling

Saturday morning the roomie and I woke up to find this:



Turns out that it was being held together with some wires and some paint and it decided it was too tired to stay up any more.

Now it looks like this:

It's hard to tell but it's about 2ft wide in our front room.

Our lovely, very old maitenence guy for our building is "working on it" but he is as slow-as-friggin-molasses. I suspect this hole will be with us for a month or so as he "layers the plaster" on slowly.

Luckily nothing was damaged and no one was hurt. Had we had another earthquake it would of hit the hardwood floors for sure possibly hitting someone or breaking things on it's way down.

In case you need to get your sexy back this weekend

model-turned-photographer Asrid Munoz did a photo series for Style.com from the Paris shows - not too shabby. I totally want to be at the Purple Party [Purple is the hippest damn magazine I've ever seen French of course what else would you expect?]

Frivolous Stuff To Distract You From Chicken Little

I'm so glad I get this magazine this is going to be awesome. Did I happen to mention that now I'm officially jealous of Brad Pitt? No, not for sleeping with her all though if I batted for that camp that would be a reason to. Now, he has shot the cover of a notable fashion magazine along with designing with Frank Gehry of Disney Hall and Bilbao Fame, designed jewelry with his ex, art directed a fashion spread [also with W magazine], not to shabby of an actor and while we're at it rich. Whatevers....



How lovely is this high wasted denim pencil skirt?


These boots from Juicy [which I normally don't care for] are lovely at $498 are 1/2 of the price of of the other pair I picked up by Costume Nationale at Bloomingdale's when I was walking through the other day. The sales guy tried to tell me that if I opened a bloomies card I would get 15% off. 15% off of $948 is a steal don't you think? So, if I settled for these Juicy boots...man would I be saving myself some money!

W Mag Photo Credit...obviously, Perez Hilton

Oh F*ck it....this is what I really want to post

CLICK TO ENLARGE

More Banquette Love

I know I've mentioned my obsession with banquettes. Grace over at Design Sponge posted this the other day, just reinforcing my dream of my perfect kitchen nook. I'm completely convinced that having this set up will make me a better hostess and cook.

image > House Beautiful Site. Peter Dunham's custom banquette.

I would totally wear this

Bravo recaps are normally left to SGM but I have to put my two cents in on the Wedding Dress Semi Finals tonight on Bravo's Project Runway. Though I don't care for her personality, Kenley's wedding dress was right up my alley including the little hat. 50's inspired so cute. I looked all over for a better photo but this was all I could find. Dress had feathers covering the bodice and dress was tea length with a big tulle underlay. One of these days I'll get my second chance at wearing one of these things wink, wink.

I'm off to see Rachael Yamagata tonight yeah!

from her new CD

Link Love

I updated my Blogger over the weekend and lost all my lovely links. I've packed in a few that I can remember but I've got them bookmarked on another computer. If you are missing from the side bit of love and are interested in swapping links leave me a comment below.

photo> via flickr

This is just really unfair

This is just unfair really. To look like this, have three children, 2 of which were just born 3 months ago. Nature is cruel.

photo > Perez

Comfort and Support

I think I might need to unplug for a while. The news may be getting to me. I'm nervous, a little scared, just a bit on edge. I don't know why except to say all of it IS A LOT. The stock market, the campaign, the insanity of all of it. CNN has done their job, I'm officially nervous, that's exactly what they wanted to do to us...spread this fear.

I was talking with a small shop owner recently here in town and she says things are bad for her, very bad. I've been thinking about that a bit, that I've decided to support my local business people rather than shop online or go to the mall in the next few months. Especially this holiday season. The little guys need the most help. If you have the chance to support a local store with the purchase of a small gift or greeting card do so rather than just picking one up at Target. It will help.

While having my big thoughts this Friday, I heard this song Society by Eddie Vedder from the Into the Wild Soundtrack. Though I will confess that my ego always wants more, some days it's too much, or when I'm lucky, it's just enough.

Some of the lyrics:
It's a mystery to me
we have a greed
with which we have agreed

You think you have to want
more than you need
until you have it all you won't be free


I think we need to generate our own comfort and support for the next bit of time. We can't expect anyone else to provide it for us these days now can we.

For The Love of Coffee

My best friend emailed me this afternoon, confessing her stress eating to me along with her stress induced problem. Women and stress, I'm not sure why it is that food makes us feel better but it does, so does shopping, or eating and shopping if you're really in a dilly. But we all know that walking while eating doesn't really count, I mean please? hello, BURNING calories!

I start each morning so positive it's going to be healthy and low calorie. Today was no exception, I even took it one step further as I'm considering taking my beloved morning coffee off the menu. I had the stomach flu the past couple days and coffee didn't sound very appetizing so I had already been off for two days so I thought today....today will be great, I'm already past the headache thing, today will be tea!


This was my response to her email...

That's ok, I just consumed about 900 calories at lunch today including ice cream and cookies. I tried not to have a coffee this morning in an effort on "being more healthy"... and got a headache. Took some advil. Then cramps started so I took 2 more. Then I had a panic attack, so I took my stress medicine, which then made me sleepy because I hadn't had any coffee. and then I was hungry because I hadn't had any caffeine. And I tried just to eat a little snack bar but by the time I made it to the market for lunch I bought everything in site and ate till I was full.

gawd I hate when I do that.

I am really loving these

Two tone tights from Chanel A couple of clicks around the web and it seems that they're not available yet but reports are in around the $140 range, which for Chanel, is a steal. How sad would you be to snag these lovelies though?