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orange appeal

April 19, 2012

do they still make tang?

When I was out and about last weekend I decided to try and find something to rock the orange.  Yes, I decided to give in to the orange invasion.  If you have been in the stores at all this season you have witnessed the orange take over.  It is everywhere.  In Manhattan recently, I saw fashionistas all over the city carrying huge orange bags…a big departure from the usual all-black attire.

What exactly is the appeal of the color orange?  What are the things that come to my mind when I think of the color orange?  Construction sites…  Prison uniforms…  Mario Batali (okay, I do like him).  Tang.  Tang was the ‘space’ drink I enjoyed as a kid …do they still make that stuff? ….and as I got a little older,  Tango.  Tango was an interesting (albeit disgusting) mix of some kind of artificial orange beverage mixed with vodka.  Back in ‘the day’ it was considered a much higher end beverage than my usual sloe gin fizzes.

I do give in to so many of the trends as time goes on….no matter how adamant I am about avoiding them.. I always give in.  I figure I will get some token orange item and get it over with…satisfy the orange. I can’t go with too much of it because I know it looks awful against my skin.  This was confirmed years ago when color ‘seasons’ were popular.  I was told I was a winter. Apparently winters DO NOT look good in orange.  Winter or not, I definitely agree that orange is not my color.

I decided to walk up and down the aisles of Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Store to get some inspiration and a light bulb went off as I got near the yarn section.  I will make a lightweight scarf!!  Granted, I know very little about knitting other than the basic knit.  I try to mix things up by using two yarns simultaneously or varying the size of the knitting needles.  In this way, I can make a scarf look different without really knowing that much about knitting or learning any other stitches. If you pick interesting colors and yarns and/or mix up the sizes of the knitting needles, you can make people think you are an experienced knitter and they will never know you need to use a reference on the internet to remember how to cast on!  Here are the yarns and needles sizes I chose:

I used one 15″ knitting needle and one 17″ knitting needle and held the two yarns together and knit them as if they were one.

 

I merely did straight knitting, but put the two yarns together and knit them as one.

 

 

 

By the way, if price were no object, my orange item would definitely be a pair of Tory Burch flats…now THAT’S an orange crush!

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jonathan livingston?

April 16, 2012

a picture is worth a thousand words

What a beautiful beach day.

Before the clocks were set ahead last month , I could never get out of work soon enough to see the beach before dark.

There were so many seagulls tonight.  I love running down the sand and watching the seagulls take flight.  It reminds me of the book Wave by illustrator Suzy Lee.

It is one of my favorite picture books … such a joyful book with beautifully simplistic illustrations.

The book is about a child’s day at the beach where she is followed by a flock of seagulls.

 

 

 

 

Just like skimming rocks, running after seagulls never gets old :)

 

 

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fun for free

April 16, 2012

thank you Jimmy Fallon!

I am at a point in my life where I have no expendable income.  Like so many parents, I am helping my twenty something’s with college to get a good start in their lives and I’m pretty caught up in paying all this ‘good start’ off!  This leaves no budget for non-necessities…..least of all for any entertainment expenses.  So I am always on the lookout for any good fun for free.. my most recent excursion?

I attended a taping of “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon!”   Jimmy Fallon happens to be my favorite comedian and I am a big fan of his late night television show.  My favorite segment of the show is ‘thank you notes’ and I was able to score tickets for a Friday episode –the night ’thank you notes’ is a regular segment.

My favorite of Jimmy’s thank you notes at the taping I attended:

“Thank you Swanson’s Hungry Man Microwavable Meals for showing me that steak, mashed potatoes, and a brownie can all be cooked the exact same length of time.”

To attend the taping, I hopped the train and made a trip to “30 Rock” the address made famous by Tina Fey’s comedy show.  I recently read her memoir “Bossypants” which made the trip to 30 Rockefeller Plaza all the more ‘fun’.

An added bonus… a beautiful spring afternoon in the city.  (Athough the show airs after midnight, it is taped earlier in the afternoon)

Even though it was such a warm day, the ice skaters were still out since the rink stays up until mid-April.

The taping was incredible!  What a show!  So much more entertaining than watching the show on television and much cooler than I ever imagined.  It’s not like I have never been to a taping…..I have been to SNL, quite a few David Letterman shows, and even Rosie back when she had a show.  But, this was definitely my favorite of the bunch!

When we got seated in the studio we were greeted and entertained by a comedian.  ‘The Roots’ , the house band,  performed a number for the studio audience after the warm up by the comedian.  If you have ever seen the show you know what an incredibly talented bunch of musicians make up the band.  Next, our announcer  and Jimmy’s ‘sidekick’ Steve Higgins introduces himself to everyone and, before you know it, the show begins. The day I attended, the guests were Christian Slater and Bethenny Frankel.

Jimmy is the best.  I really encourage anyone that is ever in the New York area to attend a taping – you can get information on obtaining tickets on his website.  If you aren’t one to stay up late and watch the show, you can always watch episodes….full episodes or segments… on the show’s website:  www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com .  (I highly recommend the Bruce Springsteen Friday episode if you opt to watch an episode…he performs three songs…. if you are not into Bruce, any episode is good)

Thanks so much Jimmy for a wonderful ‘fun for free’ experience!!

After the taping, as I left the studio, I was walking behind Bethenny….as she started to head out of the building, I heard her talking on her cell phone to Jason (if you have ever seen her reality show, you recognize that name as her husband’s)…  I had my camera in my bag, so as I walked out the door,  I snapped a photo….

My paparazzi moment:

You know you are cool when Ben & Jerry’s makes a flavor out of you!

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