2010. baby.like.whoa

a very happy new year to you, dahlings.

balthazar almond paste croissant, sushi rolls, almond cupcakes with blackberry frosting, and gouguenheim malbec circa 2008...this is only the beginning.

wheeeeee.

merry for christmas!

morning checklist:

brunch: 

the Classic toasted sesame bagel & cream cheese (whipped, herb) w/nova lox; coffee x 2

wardrobe: 

hooded heather grey sweatshirt dress, alexander mcqueen pink and black geometric print leggings, black and spearmint speckled t-shirt, vintage watchband wrap bracelet, art deco ring

soundtrack: 

The Party Faithful playlist -  the Dears, the Smiths, the Cure, the Rosebuds, David Bowie, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, the Beatles

  

location:

Watchung Hills, NJ....snowcapped

it's 9:00am on christmas morning.  and i'm up, after a pleasant sleep in someone else's bed.

i had the most peaceful christmas eve ever...alone in my aunt and uncle's mansion (relatively speaking) filled with food, presents, and a christmas tree that i was delegated to decorate. accompanied by the Shins and glasses of malbec, i tinselled and ornamented and wrapped gifts thru the nite, and realized it's always nice to have a little christmas tree on christmas.  even if it was baby size a la charlie brown's christmas...it would still be precious.

the funny thing about "coming home" is that the fridge is always stocked. a plethora of goodies to choose from and almost no choice but to eat.  a typical dialogue goes something like this: "karen, help yourself to some bananas, oranges, water, chips, dip, cookies, chocolate...there's salmon in the fridge...and by the way finish the rest of the food on the table...oh, and what do you want for breakfast we have bagels, croissants, scallion pancake, coffee...."

if the above reads like a run-on sentence, it's because it is. the breakfast question comes as i'm in the middle of stuffing myself with dinner. hehe, don't get me wrong, i know it's all out of love, but it's a bit overwhelming too. but i'm not complaining...we all know what it's like to starve so i am definitely grateful to have food in front of me.

now it's the calm before the 'storm' of family in a couple of hours. cousins, babies, chatter...

i've just been summoned to grocery shop at the asian food market. see you after the holiday jump!

and scene.

thakoon + karaoke...who woulda thunk

hollydaze '09

chez erica & patrick harmon

12.20.09

tonite was our company dinner at Il Buco, where i sat across a celebrity designer of sorts and saw another across the room...maggie gyllenhal and her husband! people always looks smaller and skinnier in person than on the internet/tv/movie screen.

i had a delicious plate of lasagna..it was not saucy as per usual, but superbly homemade and almost refreshing. it arrived looking like a small portion but was definitely filling.  i had a piece of my friend mako's steak, which was also delicious...tender...  the decor of the restaurant was also very homey, copper cookware hung up, wood panelled floors and walls. a bit of cabin, a bit of class...not sceney, but definitely a luxury to be there amongst grand company. you could kind of tell it was a place where "industry" people went to enjoy themselves....it's really nice to sit down and have a beautiful meal after going around the factories all day pushing them to finish making our clothes by the deadline....in the slushy snow.

and after dessert and more wine, thakoon was up for karaoking...as per usual...?!

pinch.

it was kind of surreal, sitting next to him and karaoking with him and some other coworkers.  i don't often get star struck...but i can't help but have it cross my mind that "i'm karaoking with thakoon....the thakoon...." i know, i know, at the end of the day he's just a person, like us, and i happen to sit right outside his office and work on projects for him...but there's a part that is undeniably special, and well, simply unexpected to be sharing one of my favorite hobbies with a "celeb."  

in other news...i'm moving to a new place beginning the new year...artsy, tasteful, with a spankin' new roommate who happens to be a new-ish friend. it's going to be a badass year. badass.  a year ago this time i was unemployed and living at home, wondering where the hell i was going to end up.  a year later, a new lovely job, new apartment, new band, all in fabulous new york.

new changes and definitely blessed, my friends. as monica would say, "peace and love, peace.and.love."

oui, partying faithfully

lately i've been thinking a lot more about work than i have for a while...it's a sunday and i actually have to go in. it's not that bad, really, but maybe it's because i've just started here a little over a month ago and i'm still having the pinch-me syndrome where it's half "i'm so lucky to be here" and half "oh my god they think i'm brilliant and now i have to prove it."  it's also ok to make mistakes, but my free passes are running out.

but first, some inspiration to kick off the day. i walk into my trusty coffeeshop around the corner and indulge myself with the ingredients for a peaceful, blissful, morning: americano (hot, seering hot), egg n' cheese n' tomato sandwich on toasted 9-grain, and W magazine.  I've realized how much i miss reading fashion mags, it's a bit of a luxury to be able to peruse one over coffee these days...and actually have it feel like a lazy sunday.

then was a full work day, albeit not as efficient as i had hoped.  i felt exhausted from playing a show on friday nite in danbury, connecticut, where we closed out the bar and didn't return to our rehearsal space until 4am.  partying like a rockstar? nay, more like....paying your dues as said "rockstar." loading and unloading your equipment, making sure nothing is stolen, playing far-out venues....oh but wait, i'm in a band. pinch.

definite funtimes ensued as the nite progressed...squatting on the side of the road for some much needed "relief"...sitting on the drummer's lap in the backseat with equipment jutting into our heads as we drove 2 hours in my tiny civic, being told there would be promoters at the show only to have 10 people in the whole venue (half of who worked there...um, and no promoters)....watching our bassist read aloud her beloved AVON copy in a magazine gracing the bar while screaming out profanities towards it in drunken stupor...and pulling out jammed $20 bills from the atm machine...i mean, really, the typical stuff that happens during a show.

a few hours of sleep later i headed into work...for another couple of hours. saturday nite was a blur...and somehow it became sunday. i must've been a zombie.

sunday was a repeat of saturday...and at 7pm i decided to leave work when my brain shut off...met with with dear friend/TPF bassist erica for a relaxing dinner of sushi and plum wine (the presentation of my plate was replete with dry ice...wow!). then mosied back to her apt to wind down. kitkats, music by Mew (dreamy angels, those Danish boys are), and our laptops. not much action, but just what i needed to sit back, let the brain go, and just listen.

and off to home i go....for a few hours of sleep before the crazy week begins. it's market week...fittings, linesheets, clothes clothes clothes.

it's nice to have a breather and remember the little things that keep you going...