Things the New York Times is doing

Other than making people pay.

Writing articles that are making me mad jealous.

Writing articles that make me both cackle with laughter and want to read more poetry.

New York state of mind

Realized I hadn't posted in a while... just back from a whirlwind weekend in New York. Compared to some of my New York days, this time our schedule wasn't that action-packed. But I remembered how much I love walking in New York, how easy it is because you never get bored with the madness all around you.

On Sunday I took NJ Transit out to see my grandfather, who is 100 and NOT happy about it (and already, two months after his 100th birthday, he keeps informing us he is almost 101). I walked the 27.5 blocks to Penn Station, and it was glorious--quiet, being Sunday morning. I was walking down a hushed Park Avenue, the office buildings silent and dark, the few people swallowed by the majesty of Park Avenue, which almost seems like the approach to a veritable temple of business, which would of course be housed in the Helmsley Building (I am slightly obsessed with the Helmsley Building).

And I remembered something that I had also remembered at a bar the night while meeting friends of friends (and I mean this in the nicest way possible): everyone in New York seems so small compared to the city that envelops them. How can you ever matter in a city where the skyline itself mocks your minute insignificance? There are so many people, and you. Don't. Matter. And that's all right, you just go with it.

I decided that is the difference between New York and Washington. Washington and its smaller scale fool people into thinking they are Somebody, and that is why the people here are so goddamn annoying a cocktail parties. New Yorkers have a reputation for arrogance, but by and large, I think my friends in New York feel much less pressure to sell themselves. Who cares? They live in New York, after all.

The Audacity of Taupe

Okay, fine, I stole that title from the Huffington Post, but it was pretty brilliant. So last night my lovely college roommate who works at the White House took us for a West Wing tour. I was trying to play it cool, but in fact I was pretty much giddy from excitement. No photos inside, so you'll have to settle for a nighttime view of the front of the building sort of glowing orange:

Hi James! Hi Mr. President inside somewhere!


The tour was really cool. Everything was smaller than I imagined, and even though it was nice, it was hard to fathom that it was really where the President goes to work every day. I thought there would be lots of antechambers and such before you get to anything real, but no, we walked in and the first door is marked "Situation Room." The art (all on loan from the Smithsonian) is fabulous.

And finally, my all-important thoughts on the Oval Office redesign: while it isn't terrible in person, the turquoise lamps are still a bit jarring. And the couches look almost too comfortable--they are more rec room than reception room. Also, I thought the whole room would be bigger, but it's almost cozy in person.

Okay, time for pancakes!

Major, serious obsessions

So I love travel and exotic locales, and I love interior design. Staring at gorgeous photos that inspire daydreams is a major pastime for me. So where are these loves combined?

The New York Times Great Homes and Destinations page. Booyah. So good.

Thoughts

1. Why does weather.com lie to me CONSTANTLY???

2. How is Adele SO GOOD?

3. Madama Butterfly at the Kennedy Center: I had never seen this opera before--this version was very well-sung, but a tad melodramatic. I mean, even by opera standards. Also, had to squint to read the supertitles while wearing my old (two prescriptions ago) glasses--no contacts due to pink eye :( Eye health/eyewear FAIL; culture vulture WIN.

4. If you are one of the, like, two people who enjoy my wackiness and aren't just scouring this blog for the secret to getting called to A-100 (and that is, in case you were wondering: 57. Northeast. 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Puggle.), then you'd probably also enjoy the blog of my blog-goddess, one Jamie Meares, who writes mainly about interior design but also about life and awesomeness here. And her online store of wonders.

Good weekends may or may not include the following:

1. Dim sum at China Garden. Never gets old.

2. Sushi (at Sushi Ko in Glover Park).

3. Hot Pumpkin'd Rum (at Bourbon in Glover Park).

4. A long and satisfying walk (to Glover Park and back--4.2 miles), complete with beautiful homes' windows' to peer through.

5. A home-cooked meal (Greek turkey meatballs, very cucumber-ful tzatziki, roasted red potatoes).

6. Plenty of good music (right now, Belle & Sebastian, "Like Dylan in the Movies") while chilling out and doing Chinese homework.

7. Weather that just might start to make you think of this: [Editor's Note: sadly, Blogger is not maintaining the line spacing correctly. Better version here.]

[in Just-]

by E. E. Cummings

in Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles

far

and

wee

Laziness and daydreaming

Things I am obsessed with right now: this lovely blog about a super-cool, vaguely hipstery Ukrainian couple who took a year off after getting married to travel the world and take achingly beautiful and cool photos of it all. Definitely making me want to invest in a better camera and learn to take photos that make people jealous of my life.

Whether or not there's anything there that is very special at all. I am a firm believer in reality mattering less than the photos you get to put on facebook afterward. That is why I put way more energy into finding the right photographer than I did with anything else for my wedding.

I am being soooooooooo lazy today. I woke up not feeling great before 8am, and now I feel fine but am deciding how long I can milk the excuse and avoid doing anything useful. I did just finish Revolutionary Road, which was a very well-done book, with great use of language, though possessed of a slightly trite plot. Or who knows, maybe it's just so good that it feels universal and makes me think I've seen (read?) it all before. This is indeed a possibility.

Planning to go to Sushi Ko tonight--nothing I enjoy more than a sushi high :) Seriously, it makes me gleeful. Glee!