6.30.2011

dinner with a friend


Tonight I joined a friend for dinner near her apartment in the east village. We were planning on going to Caracas, a fantastic Venezuelan place, but the wait was a whopping 45 minutes, so we moved down the block to the 7A diner. Open 24 hours, it is fantastic at any time. Seriously, I've had their key lime on a previous visit and it is the one of the best I've ever had. This evening was the first time I've been for an actual meal and it did not disappoint in the least.

mojitos... yum.
well buttered corn on the cob
perfection.
We finished with some cupcakes from Butter Lane. No picture was captured to document that portion of the meal, but I had my old standby of maple pecan frosting paired with vanilla cake. As it was my first check-in on foursquare, I also got to try a free frosting shot. Normally one dollar, it's just as it sounds: a little cup of frosting. I tried the cinnamon honey. Quite good, but I don't think I'd pay a dollar for one. However, it was the cupcake that provided the perfect ending to the evening.

what the iphone sees

Because I've worked two fourteen hour days in a row, I haven't had much time in the way of updating. However, I have been documenting my days via my phone, so this is what I've been up to lately. 

      

     

    
  
    

a more substantial post will be up soon.

6.26.2011

explorations


Despite the fact that I'm living in Brooklyn, I haven't taken the opportunity to explore it too much thus far. Yesterday, I was able to change that when I made plans to meet up with a friend near Prospect Park. We caught up on our walk into the picnic area of the park, filling each other in on the happenings since graduation. He wanted to meet some people, some who I knew and a few who I didn't, for a pre-birthday celebration in the park. I stayed for a bit because it was so beautiful, but left early so I could decompress before work. However, before hoping on the train, I took some time to take some pictures of the park, the neighborhood and the farmer's market that I stumbled upon on the way. 
Ready for some BBQ




Flowers at the market
Some people taking a break from their outing in the park
Flowers I bought to add to my room's decor.
Other news of note: I found a job. It was mostly a fluke, really. I had been desperately applying to place after place and was starting to think maybe I could sell some of my eggs to make a quick buck, but a posting on Craigslist proved to be serendipitous. I found an ad for a server in a place on the LES and made the trek last Sunday to interview for the position. My interviewer was super nice and after a brief chat told me that she needed someone with barista experience; however, would I mind if she passed along my name to their sister restaurant up the street? Of course I didn't mind! Several days passed and I was hoping she hadn't forgotten to do so. On Wednesday, I got a call and we agreed that I would come in the next day. I started training the very first day! I cannot believe my luck; the manager hired me without an interview or references and with basically no experience in the restaurant business. It's been busy busy busy the last few days with all the training, but now that I have the routine down, I'll keep up with the posting. 

6.22.2011

color blocking and bell peppers

Oh hai! Yes, you're quite right: I'm a flamingo.
As I really enjoyed the color blocking of my outfit today (sea foam/navy), I decided I would attempt a costume post. This proved a challenging endeavor in that I didn't have some poor soul to beg cajole subject to taking my picture. Therefore, I had to set it on the dresser and utilize the self timer. It is only for humor that I post one of these shots... lucky you. (It's also SUPER grainy because I had it set to 6400 ISO. Which, if you don't know, is much more grainy than ISO 400, for example.) In much better news, I finally got the chance to make a recipe I had been eying for a while over on smitten kitchen. After grocery shopping this evening, I procured my first capers and enough peppers to make the recipe in question. 



My camera battery petered out soon into the endeavor, so I took a couple of after shots with the iPhone instead. I used the randomize setting on the Hipstamatic app instead of picking the lens, film and flash. I'm impressed with my willingness to let go, although I don't know that they turned out quite the way I had hoped. Also, the peppers need to marinate overnight, so I can't say for sure that it's a successful attempt, but I'm 90% positive it'll make my work day lunch much better tomorrow. This is the third recipe I've tried from smitten kitchen (see also this and that). If you haven't checked her out, you definitely should, if just for the pictures.


[JF and Sons silk tank, Tory Burch Shorts, Aldo shoes]

6.21.2011

food parade

Farmer's market breakfast.
While the following post is a glorified collection of food pictures, I cannot think of something more perfect to celebrate. Food is our sustenance and we only live once, so why make it a habit to have a complicated relationship with food? I figure we have plenty complicated relationships with people, so may as well enjoy something like food. Ok, done with the preachy part... feast your eyes!





And then I decided to make jam.  



I had been putting off this endeavor for several days. But as you saw here, I purchased quite a few strawberries at the Union Square farmer's market with the intention of making jam. I put it off because I couldn't find the lemon the recipe called for in any pagoda and was too lazy to actually go to a grocery store. However, I stumbled upon a couple of limes this evening and figured that applying a citrus principle, things would be just fine. Using this recipe, I made my first foray into the art of preserves. And I think it turned out quite well. 


6.20.2011

simple days and nights


What this picture doesn't capture is everyone else using their fancy camera phones as well.
Sometimes, it's nice to forget about lugging around a big camera and just enjoy the passing time without capturing any long lasting memories. This was the self imposed ruled I employed this weekend and it felt great. However, my umbilical cord wasn't quite cut on Saturday, so I used my Hipstamatic app to capture a simple afternoon in Washington Square Park. I gradually arrived there after striking out at a Tory Burch sample sale and finding I lacked the patience that day to peruse the aisles of a Goodwill store. So, having finally procured a copy of the Village Voice (I had been checking those damn red boxes for days only to wind up empty handed), I settled in the park to enjoy the lunch I had packed in my bag.



I came home after a lovely couple hours watching all the activities swirling around me as well as soaking up a street fair that went on for several blocks. After flopping in my bed, I read and had a photoshoot with Curtis, checking out various settings with the Hipstamatic. For everyone's sake, I'll only post one of these. 


Today's activities, although they no doubt warranted picture perfect moments, went undocumented. After a restful morning and afternoon, I met my oldest friend (in terms of years of friendship, not actual age) for dinner and a movie. We ate at Gusto, where we downed a half-priced (!!) bottle of wine before meeting a couple of her friends at the Angelika Theater to see Woody Allen's newest film. Midnight in Paris is one of those movies that effortlessly showcases an affair with a city without letting this love outshine the plot of the film. I wasn't sure what to expect and was a bit apprehensive if I'd like the film I'd paid $13 (really, NYC?) for. Being unexpectedly swept away by it helped shape a perfect evening. And that is something only captured by a feeling, not an image.

6.18.2011

fantasy finds

via lapomme
In my head, I've been slowly decorating my dream apartment. Although I'm very happy with this subletting situation, the inability to really put my mark on the place has me dreaming of the day when I can make that a reality. Until then, I'm going to save visual inspirations for when I do get the chance to decorate a blank slate.

via lamarquisedesanges

via PegandAwl
via diffractionfiber
via Singulier.com

6.17.2011

friday faves

Although I have been immensely enjoying the portability of my Kindle on the subway, I can't help it but purchase books whenever I venture into a bookstore. Upon arriving in Connecticut on Wednesday, and with some time to kill, my friend and I stopped in a Barnes and Nobles, where I stumbled upon two seemingly fantastic books that I couldn't resist buying. Let's hope they hold up to expectations.

Comedy and life skills

Other fun things this week included finding a father's day present as well as a catchall for my keys. Not to mention, keeping my eyes out for some more grownup pieces to add to my wardrobe.

Yup, I like the way this turned out.

Found at Modern Anthology, it's supposed to be a soap dish.

But I saw it as a perfect nesting space for my keys and any other odds and ends.

Double layer silk tank from JF and Sons

to market, to market


A few days ago, I made a brief excursion to the Chelsea Market. The visit did have an official reason for occurring; I was supposed to interview for a job at a gelateria, but the boyfriend was visiting and exhausted so we decided to leave earlier than planned. But not before I got a couple pictures.

A wishing well

Today, among other errands, I made it to the Union Square farmer's market. Mostly, I was in pursuit of one vendor in particular, Deep Mountian Maple, a Vermont maple company that only comes Fridays and Saturdays to the market. After purchasing some other items, I bought some maple sugar candy from them just before a ridiculous thunderstorm began.

So freaking amazing

Yes, I'm a sellout for buying Starbucks coffee... oops.

Tomorrow's breakfast...
... along with some fresh strawberries.
I love shopping in farmer's markets. It feels really nice to meet the people who were directly involved in the production of the food you are buying. And it helps that I can't wait to make some fresh strawberry jam with the numerous strawberries that were procured.