I spent Sunday Christmas shopping while wearing my favorite new clothing item: these sweater tights from Betsey Johnson ($16.99 for two pairs at TJ Maxx; gift card generously provided by retailer). Kendrick and I are going to Florida next weekend with my parents to visit some family friends, so I’m trying to get everything done beforehand. Also, I’m a crazy person about finishing up shopping well ahead of time - I usually start in October.
Aldo flats.
When I went over to my mom’s house the other night, I opened the refrigerator to find this odd sight. Mom told me that when my cousin Zach visited, he persisted in doing this to all of the soda bottles, and when she asked him why he said that it keeps them fizzy for longer (less air in the bottle = less space for bubbles to escape, I suppose). He swears it’s true, but it seems to me that re-pressurizing the contents of the bottle is the only thing that would really keep it fizzy. Any scientists out there want to confirm/refute my suspicion?
Last night, Kendrick and I went to see Hamlet at the Broadhurst Theater, and outside we ran into reader Michelle (far right) and her friend Kayla, both visiting from Santa Barbara.
Jude Law was pretty extraordinary - although I can certainly see why critics have accused him of excessive indicating (when he talks about heaven, the arms go up towards the sky, when he says a number, you can bet that the corresponding number of fingers are extended…that kind of thing).
(Re: my ruddy nose/cheeks…it was FREEZING last night.)
BCBG Dress from TJMaxx (gift card generously provided by retailer); vintage earrings and necklace.
Despite not having played for a while, I fell back into old (good) habits. My grandmother is a HUGE, HUGE tennis buff and played with me for years. I took lessons when I was in high school, and then again in college, but never stuck with it long enough to get really good.
One of my new years resolutions is to start playing regularly again. Anyone have any suggestions for good courts in NYC?
I used to play with my dad at the Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club, on 43rd between 9th and 10th. Good courts in a great location, but they’re a touch pricey. A rundown of the best courses can be found here - the most affordable options include McCarren Park and Queens College.
Mini baking sets?! Yes, please. That one looks straight out of the Martha Stewart Home Collection, which makes me like it even more.
When I was a kid, this is exactly the kind of present I would have liked. I also liked jewelry making kits, chemistry sets, anything with lots of parts and lots of stuff to do - but apparently kids today want Nintendo DS games. Fine, whatever. We left the baking set behind and headed over to GameStop…which, in case you were wondering, is a madhouse.
This year, the Top 10 Christmas Toys for Kids include DJ Hero and Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters, which I’ve never heard of before right now.
We spent today Christmas shopping, and stopped into a toy store on 86th Street to look for presents for Kendrick’s niece and nephew. I totally forgot how happy toy stores make me (see evidence of happiness, above).
The arguably-hideous-but-I-love-‘em things I’ll be wearing in place of my Uggs until I pick up a new pair. I bought these at the Skechers store in LA about four years ago and never really wore them because they’re kind of a pain to lace up and I’m lazy like that, but hey, desperate times.
(That sculpture on the right, by the way, is a Balinese statue that we picked up on our honeymoon in Thailand and Indonesia…and was SUPER fun to carry home.)
After dinner, we met up with Stephen, our buddy Greg (center), and Kendrick’s friend (now mine, too!) Pete (far right), who’s visiting from Australia and staying with us for a couple of nights. We went to an Irish bar on 85th Street called Ryan’s Daughter: friendly bartenders, good music, generous pours of Jack Daniel’s - I’ll be back to hit the dartboard and pool table.
Last night, Mom took Kendrick and I out for dinner after her weekly piano lesson (my dad is out of town, so it was just the three of us). We went to L’Allegria, on 9th Avenue, which is a place we used to frequent when I was in elementary school. It’s where I first tasted caprese - one of my favorite dishes in the world - and I distinctly remember that experience, because I felt very posh and grown-up eating it, and it sort of marked the first stirrings of my interest in being (relatively) adventurous when it comes to food (not that eating mozzarella, tomatoes and basil constitutes being adventurous…it just is when you’re nine and have never heard of the stuff).
L’Allegria has undergone a dramatic renovation since we last went - it used to be kind of cheesy and boisterous, and now looks like a Crate & Barrel showroom - but the food (I had squid ink pasta with salmon, and Mom tried the meat lasagna) is well-priced and reliable. No surprises, but sometimes a heaping portion of tomato sauce-drenched pasta is what I’m looking for in an Italian restaurant.
(By the way, I arrived at my parents’ place looking much cuter than this, in a sparkly top and leopard cardigan, but I was cold and grumpy from my epic shopping excursion and stole Kendrick’s ancient, coziest-thing-ever sweater.)
