Without Fanfare or Frippery

I was debating whether or not it would be wise to divulge such a large part of who I am to you right off the bat. Ultimately, I've decided that there is no possible way you can get to know me without being informed of one of my largest quirks. I am in love with Martha Stewart. She is my absolute idol. Hate me, mock me if you choose, Martha is my obsession and I shall not apologize for that. She's just so saucy! She's very smart, a fantastic business woman (despite the whole jail bit) and she just oozes class. Her ideas, recipes and "Good Thing" tips...the best out there in my opinion. I'll challenge anyone to create work with more elegance and ingenuity in terms of the "domestic arena".

Oh my, please excuse the mini-rant. I get a bit heated when I speak of Martha.

Perhaps many of you know that last week commenced many of the primetime television programs we enjoy throughout the year. Martha Stewart Live was no exception. Monday, September 10th marked the beginning of what Martha promised to be her most exciting season yet. She kicked off the year with a seductive rendezvous involving Usher, champagne cocktails and baking peppered cheese crackers. Come on, I know some of you have broken a sweat by now. True she did wrap up the episode with a detailed explanation of her hip replacement entitled Hip Replacements 101 (not so sexy), yet as over all she started off on a rather enticing note as promised.

I cannot even begin to explain my frustration over the fact the Martha is now shown at 1pm instead of 10am. Let me just note that last year, I meticulously arranged my fall schedule so that I would be able to watch Martha Stewart Live every day. Needless to say I was heartbroken by the time change...there were a few tears. The reason why I mention this is bring your attention to Martha's website! The site is constantly changing and improving. There are so many helpful features. I can literally get wrapped up in it for hours upon hours at a time. What you might not know is that Martha has a video section on her sight on which live shows are posted daily. Yes! Everyday at approximately 6 o'clock pm (I've timed it), the previous day's show is placed online for everyone to enjoy. Although at times I do feel like I'm getting Martha Sloppy Seconds, the video site does create an opportunity for those of us with afternoon class to soak up our Martha time just like everyone else.

For those of you who have stuck with this entry to the end, you now have a little bit of background on my love affair with Martha that I will continue to share throughout the year. While you're online, why not check out Martha's site? I promise she will not disappoint you. For those of you lucky enough to be unoccupied at 1 o'clock pm, put on NBC and enjoy!

(Friday is Handbag Day on the show...Fashionistas why not explore your inner Domestic Diva...How To Clean Your Handbag 101 seems pretty groovy...)

This morning I caught the first 10 minutes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show while I was on the treadmill at Palladium. Her opening monologue was all about how we overuse words like "awesome","hilarious"' and "unbelievable". Strange...but it really is true when you think about it.

Just as Ellen said, if you go to the Grand Canyon and say its "awesome" and the eat a mango and say its "awesome"... how does that work? Is your mango really just as awesome as the Grand Canyon? If something is hilarious shouldnt you be laughing and not talking about how hilarious it is? See the issue? I'm entirely guilty of it! True quam kids, true quam.

Anyway, enjoy your Friday evening. I'm off to the start of the Theatrix 24 hr Play Festival, then heading to a friend's apt. downtown. In the future, I'll be more cautious about what I say is awesome. I wouldn't want to upset Ellen.

Enjoy!

Lots of news this morning, my my.

The girls who made Magnolia something magical are back! The word is, yesterday up on 85th st. Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris North (Carrie and Big for my non-SITC lovers) were spotted in the midst of filming a scene! The series dynamic couple was seen smooching on a street corner, flooding our minds yet again with the age-old question, "What happens to Carrie and Big?"

The long awaited Sex In The City movie was said to have been held up do to money conflicts with sex kitten Kim Cattrall. The film simply could not be made without her or her cooperation.

If you're looking to stake out where the Sex In The City Movie will be filmed next, don't get your hopes up. Apparently, the production team is getting their filming permits one week at a time to prevent any word of their location from leaking out.

However! If you have some free time today, sources say there will be a few scenes shot at 70th st and Lexington Ave. For all of you "Carries at Heart" out there...maybe you can sneak a peak at your lady.

Enjoy!

I am such a baby. In an effort to attend more NYU events for the sake of the blog, I made a point of going to the "Sextravaganza" program at Carlyle last night. It figured it would be easy. It was right at the bottom of my building, the poster said there would be snacks, how bad could it possibly be?

For any normal person the answer would be not bad at all. As I entered the C2 study lounge there were many smiling faces passing around a gigantic blow up penis, the table looked like a rainbow covered with a spectra of different colorful sex toys, there were even three penis cakes all frosted a different flavor to suit everyone's taste. For me however, I felt like I was having a panic attack. I don't know why but I completely chickened out! I'm a junior in college who feels uneasy about cutting into a German chocolate penis cake, go figure!

But sadly, yes I was a huge baby and stayed only for about 10 minutes. I felt uncomfortable and the table of sex gadgets (most of which looked a painful) was just staring at me in inappropriate ways. I was so bashful I could barely lift my gaze! Every time you did yours eyes would catch some awkward sight and the feeling of "Oh my god, do they think I'm staring at that" hastily rolls in.

The positive outcomes of the experiences? Well for one thing, everyone who was there was actually quite friendly, so that was nice. The study lounge looked beautiful all decorated with balloons. The chocolate covered strawberries were delicious and I got a goody bag!

I know from the past that the "Sexstravaganza" event is one of the most popular nights with most students. I can honestly say, from what I experienced it definitely seemed like an entertaining and informative program. I wish I had stayed longer so that I could give you more detail on the agenda for the evening. Sadly, as soon as the "seminar" aspect began and the condom-covered bananas were whipped out, I headed for the hills.

Once again, a memorable night at NYU. Enjoy!

Luck Shops 2007. Heaven on earth for the fashionistas of Manhattan. This annual event hosted by the iconic magazine "Lucky" is an absolute treat for the women and men who live, breath and sweat fashion.

Now I am especially 'lucky' (ha) when it comes to this yearly bash because I have THE in of all time. My aunt, who could easily be mistaken for a model amongst the sea of shoppers, works in PR for Lucky and is kind enough to include me in the event. As a young person in New York City there are not many opportunities to skip the line and get the red carpet treatment so this truly is a treat.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Lucky Shops event, every year Lucky magazine creates a sample sale of sorts. Countless designers come together, slash their prices and indulge the label hungry populace of NYC. You can find anything from clothing, status bags, shoes and beauty products from designers such as Marc Jacobs, Catherine Malandrino and Cynthia Rowley just to name a few.

My favorite feature of Lucky Shops is the jean bar. Good lord! Designer jeans are sold at practically half price and they hem them for you right there! This year I proved my loyalty to J.Brand and picked up a fantastic pair of wide-leg trouser jeans that would make you melt! They're like butter. Basically you grab a bunch to try on, make your way into the impromptu "dressing tent" and get at it. There's such a pleasant sense of solidarity in the changing area. All of the women compliment each other's denim saying things like "Oh my god, you HAVE to buy those" and "Those jeans make your butt look amazing!" How could you not get them after an experience like that?

My mama combing through the Michael Kor rack

The atmosphere of Lucky Shops is absolutely insane and could probably provoke an anxious person into a complete panic attack. There is so much energy between the bargin hunters, house music and free starbucks samples. Male models roam the aisle with trays of snacks, which most people are too busy to eat. The eye candy is probably much tastier than the snacks anyway.

When you find your fashion booty at a particular tent, your pieces are placed in a bag and put aside for you. You're given a receipt so that you can purchase your items later on and continue shopping sans the heavy merchandise. You have to be strategic though, you only have an hour to bring your receipt to a register and claim your things. Time flies by when you're trying on vintage Prada.

By the end of the afternoon I ended up with a pair of J.Brand trouser jeans, a dusty pink shirt from Theory and a Nicholas K jacket one woman described as "fierce". I couldn't be more pleased! (Although I did have to force myself to walk out of the door in fear I would blow my tuition on designer digs)

Thank you Aunty M. for yet another stylish day amongst the racks of such fine garments. What's better than christmas and the Barney's sample sale combined? Lucky Shops! 365 more days until my next urge to splurge

Enjoy!

Gift bags :)

Thursday, November 15th 2007

As much as I was confused about why College Group at the Met would chose to host a Venetian Ball to honor their African Mask exhibit, sometimes all a city girl needs is a dress, a mask and a little night music to unwind from a stressful week (it was much appreciated).

We were running late as usual. I met my dear friends Emily and Lisha from Ed. Theater in Palladium along with a big group of masked girls...and Max, Emily's patient boyfriend. We hopped on the 6 train and barreled up towards 86th street. We were not at a loss for strange looks. As much as Manhattan is home to all sorts of unique sites, I suppose a large group of masked females is not something you often see on public transportation.

The line at the Met was gigantic! So much larger than last year which was a great surprise. Lisha had never been to the Met before (!!!!) so it was our mission to get her in for the experience! Luckily there were people leaving the party and in interesting costumes nonetheless. We spent most of our time outside people watching and not thinking about how cold we were in our party dresses.

The beauty of the College Group at the Met events is that they are FREE. You cannot say that about many things in New York. All you need to do to attend an event like the Masquerade is show up with a smile and your student ID. Easy as pie...well in this case easy as churros. (Are they even Venetian?) If you'd like more information about College Group's events visit their website! Not only do they host events for college students in NYC, but they're a great resource for projects and papers. Use their site for research on art history or use the information online as a guide for a Met visit in person.

Now back to the party! The event was held in the main entrance area. Although I preferred having the party in the Egyptian Temple last spring, they illuminated the ceiling of the entrance hall to look like the waters of Venice. The image was striking on the tall marble archways. Quite impressive. The main staircase was blanketed with votive candles which sparkled around the entire room (all of the little college couples took their picture in front of the twinkly site...it was precious)

Of course we got there and the first thing we looked for was food. We were met with flat bread pizzas (pizza margarita and mushroom), grapes and churros with chocolate sauce. Again, I'm not entirely sold on churros being a Venetian food. Oh, another random party finding, Whale Rider was being projected on the western wall. A little odd in my opinion.

Regardless, we had a great time looking through the exhibits. There is something so magical about being granted access to these beautiful artifacts in the deep of night. There is definitely a certain mystique that surrounds it.

Ladies showing off our masks in front of the darkened sculpture garden.

Sometimes I think we all take for granted the fact that we go to school in such an incredible city, especially during these times of extreme stress and schoolwork. During the night, I had to keep telling myself "You are at a Masquerade ball at THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART!! There are some people in this country who will never ever see this place in their life time and here I am roaming around in my Zorro mask, munching on a churro and contemplating the patterns on ancient artwork" It is truly amazing.

Overall, we had a fantastic evening! We look forward to College Group at the Met's next event. Although our mask will take their rightful place strung up on our walls or shoved in draws, I think this was a night we'll remember for quite some time.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I'd imagine many of you are still scattered all over the country at this point, spending time with (or avoiding) family members and probably still working on digesting your turkey day meal.

I'm currently propped up on my huge green couch in Northport loving the feeling of being home. However instead of sitting next to my mom or girl friends watching a movie...I've covered the couch and myself with text books, plays and various syllabi, all of which need to be dealt with before I go back to the city monday morning. There is so much work to be done over this break! Yesterday, I couldn't quite tell if the pain in my chest was heartburn from the inhuman amount of stuffing I ate the day before or pure anxiety of not finishing all of this work in time. The good news is, final papers will start being handed in pretty much the week we get back meaning that this semester (however lovely) is coming to an end and christmas break/peru/paris/amazingness will be soon to follow. The bad news is, final papers will start being handed in pretty much the week we get back and I actually have to write them.

At the moment I think I'm on top of it, however the anticipation of having to craft "the perfect first sentence" (not to mention the rest of the text) for all of these different assignments is getting me worked up. Anyway, enough gloominess... it is post thanksgiving weekend for goodness sake! I'd like to share some positive things that are going on in the Ed Theater/Drama Lit academic world these past two weeks.

1. Brain + Behavior is amazing. Although there was only a sprinkling of us in lecture on Wednesday, Glimcher videotaped his lesson and posted it on the internet for those who left NY early. His already animated persona reached new heights as our TA's recorded his every zany move with a video camera.

2. We had our Resource Roundup a few weeks back in Dramatic Activities in the Elementary School Classroom. I walked out with about 25 different lessons, lists upon lists of great books to use with students and for my own reference, a packet of Cultural Institutions in and around NYC to use, not to mention a packet on classroom management (heaven)! Desiree uses Processfolios as an assessment piece for our class and mine at the moment is looking a bit like my self actually... stuffed to the brim.

3. Education as a Social Institution has wrapped up our countries projects. We spent a few weeks presenting lessons on the educational systems of different places around the world. Unfortunately that section came to an end and we're back to normal lectures again. The readings have been really interesting now that I'm focusing in on the effectiveness of private schools. Most of us are terrified about our final paper though as we don't really get much guidance when it comes to assignments. I hate "winging" it on my own.

4. Human Development. We're past our second exam and on the home stretch. For a class that follows the development of humans from conception to death, we're on young adulthood so I guess it's all down hill from here (ha).

5. Beginner's Playwriting is really moving along at this point. Our next class meets tuesday night and the first group will present their final 10 minute plays. Equity actors are coming in to do a staged reading of our work. The class has a large number of grad. students in it so the level of professionalism as well as sheer talent in the group is immeasurable. I cannot wait to see what genius they're able to sew together. I love listening to their pieces simply because it gives me hope that my work will sound like that once I'm in their position as well.

6. Scholars is in full swing as well. We're still getting ready for our trip to Peru, which is one of the major thoughts getting me through this hellish finals period. The Health & Wellness group is interviewing our contact at God's Love We Deliver early next week and thankfully we'll be able to complete our protocol and papers before the due date. Yeah scholars!

Anyway, that's life in a nutshell pretty much. Any questions, comments or rants...you know how to reach me :)

Enjoy!

Merry Mardi Gras to all! The streets of Paris are covered with masked school children and the smell of crepes. Fat Tuesday, sometimes known as Shrove Tuesday, is the last day of Carnival before Ash Wednesday and Lent begins.

Where as back in the United States some folks use Mardi Gras as an excuse to take off their clothes and down Hurricanes, here in Paris the festivities are a bit more PG. A day typically celebrated by kids, on Fat Tuesday Parisians schools look a bit like their American counterparts on Halloween. On my way to class this morning, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a gremlin, a devil and a handful of kings sporting cardboard crowns.

What I did not know before today is that Mardi Gras is also known as "Pancake Day". Of course, pancakes here in France are really crepes. It was baffling to find out that I wasn't aware of a special day dedicated to one of my favorite snacks! Indeed, "Pancake Day" is a nickname given to Mardi Gras to accentuate Carnival coming to a close and to prepare Christians for Lent. Since Lent is a time of fasting, indulgent ingredients like milk, eggs and butter are technically supposed to be eaten in limited quantities. Of course in the year 2008 it's really the Nutella and the excessive amounts of Gruyere that are the real indulgences. Must we give up such sumptuous treats for the sake of our piousness? Surely there must be some kind of special dispensation for the chocolate and cheese lovers of the world.

Anyway, I figured it was my duty as a honorary Francophone to partake in such an infamous national holiday. I stopped at my local crepe man as I walked home from the gym. Tucked away in an empty storefront the size of a phone booth, this man is a crepe genius. Don't be fooled by the modest tinfoil and household paper toweling. This is street-cart gourmet at its finest!

Consider it the Parisian version of my a beloved bacon, egg and cheese sandwich from back home. I've traded in eggs, bacon and American cheese for eggs, jambon and gruyere. It may not beat the real thing, but it comes close enough.

You've got me. Midterms aren't over yet but I can't resist, there's much to share. Let us return to the weekend before last, March 7th-10th.

Friday morning I met Lee at the Gare de Nord train station, weekend bag in tow. Our excitement over taking the SNF train for the first time was muffled by the ungodly hour of our departure and our temporary lack of caffiene. We just made our train. On board, we tucked into a little four seat set up complete with a table and a garbage can (we travel in style). It wasn't until the end of the trip that we found out there were assigned seats. Our luxurious lay out on the way to London was completely not what we payed for. Oops.

We arrived at King's Cross-St. Pancreas station just before 9 o'clock am. After finding Lee's hotel and dropping off our bags, we were in dire need of an energizing lunch. We met up with Carrie, who we hadn't seen in ages! The American University in Paris already had their spring break. Carrie had been off exploring Spain without us. NYU in Paris doesn't break until April 16th...we're hanging in there.

Our lunch was strategic. We sat and drafted one of our famous 'napkin lists' of things that must be accomplished before returning to Paris. Item #1: Find Harry Potter. Harry was then followed by become a Princess, eat an inhumane amount of Indian food, find out why 'Big Ben' is called 'Big Ben' and afternoon tea.

First stop, Harry Potter. We made our way to Platform 9 3/4. We were in King's Cross Station after all...

I'm sure you can imagine our despair when we found out that we could not make it the entire way through the wall. The train to Hogwarts must have left without us...we'll have to find Harry next time.

The other girls continued their day at Harrids and Hyde Park while I met up with my dear friend Lauren. Lauren and I were best of friends in elementary school until she moved back to London with her family in 5th grade. While the other girls were exploring in the city of London, I was thrilled to spend the weekend at Lauren's home in Chorleywood. Chorleywood is still considered London, only nothing about it resembles the bustling streets of double-decker busses one might imagine. Chorleywood is a quintessential country town complete with fields, forests, rugby fanatics and hearty grub. In fact, I was told that Chorleywood was voted the "happiest village in Britain" last year. Only 45 minutes outside of the center of London, you feel like you're in a entirely different world.

Our time in Choleywood was delightful. I had already seen the main sights in London during my last trip. What I was craving was the taste of family life that I've been missing desperately being so far from home. After a few days of home cooked meals, a handful of family outings and a couple of dog walks later, I was feeling great! There's just something about sitting in your pajamas and eating cereal with everyone around the table that warms you right up. Speaking of breakfast, one morning we all piled in the car ( Lauren's sister Bella needed to practice for her driving test...seat belts were needed) to go to Home and Colonial. This local gem is four floors of pure heaven. The bottom three are chocked full with antiques goodies and modern housewares, yet the top floor is certainly the most delicious. The attic of the old building is the cutest cafe I have seen in a long time. (This coming from a girl who lives in Paris) The rustic table and chairs were softened with cotton table clothes and cozy cushions. Tea cakes lined the walls, families passed plates around the tables and newspapers were lying around everything for you to read as you sipped coffee. We munched on scones, coffee and a full english breakfast: fried egg, sausage, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, tomato and toast with jam. Could it get any better than that?

Twice the girls and I took the train into the center of London. First, we went in to meet Carrie and Lee for dinner and dancing. Wagamama is a fusion chain around Europe that is perfect for the college traveler. The food is creative, always tasty, and surprisingly cheap. It's a great place for a fun dinner out with friends or just a nice way to get in a spicy fix between your croissants, baguettes and mellow cheeses.

That night we followed Lauren to the quirky dance location Punk. Apparently Kate Moss had her 30th birthday party there. It was a great place to let loose to all of the old American dance classics that are so hip whence transplanted abroad.

Our second excursion into the city was to explore the Bricklane Market. As you can tell from previous post I'm a huge market fan here in Paris, but the Bricklane Market was a knockout in comparison. The market combines vintage clothing, work from struggling artists and jewelers, indie music and the most amazing ethnic food I have ever come across. Everything was packed within rows of dusty tents, a melange of different treasures, something to suite everyone's fancy.

We lunched at an organic spot called Leon. It reminded me of Grey Dog in the village only a little larger and a little more daring in terms of their menu. We tried the roasted sweet potato falafel with brown bazmati rice and sesame slaw.

We spent our last moments together savoring an afternoon tea at Schipps. There's no possible way you could feel unfeminine sitting around the doily covered table with crumbly scones. Sipping tea with your pinky up was an absolute must. The best feature of all...cupcakes! A sight for sore eyes! I hadn't seen a frosted little beauty in over two months! A perfect ending for a charming British weekend.

5:30 Monday morning, Lee and I made our way back to King's Cross station the minute the metro opened. As our train pulled out of the station we said goodbye to Harry Potter, goodbye to Big Ben and goodbye to all of the signs that say "mind the gap while exiting the train" in English. Back to Bonjour's and s'il vous plaît's.