five senses friday

good day friends! this friday (a little birdy told me) shim+sons, abby, stephanie, jenny, abigail, gracia, louise, jerusha, marieke, and hayley will also be participating. please let me know if you're joining us and i'll include a link to your blog here. this is so fun to see so many of you enjoying these friday posts and more importantly taking the time to post about your week in terms of your five senses.

let's get started!


sight:
birdwatching-thrushes, towhees, robins enjoying themselves in our backyard pond
pride & prejudice (A & E version) yes, i'm the newest devotee! it's just so good!
bird in a skirt woodgrain cards in plane or apple
this photo
heidimatic fifties chick pillow



smell:
ninth street bakery
t after a shower-fresh and clean
homemade spinach and parsley lasagna baking in the oven
homemade banana bread (mav's recipe!)
freshly painted walls in our hotel room in cville


taste:
grilled cheese and tomato on croissant
black beans and rice with grated cheddar, sour cream and salsa
spicy coconut soup with tofu
t's homemade/homebrewed cola (i requested low sugar and high carbonation) it's called crazy cola and it's good!
tummy tamer tea in charlottesville (ginger, licorice, mint)


touch:
flour
frames (trying decide on frames for our prints)
my fuzzy felted wool supermaggie skinny scarf
beer bottles (helping t bottle his latest homebrew)
cold drinking glass


hear:
"all that spring you could see hailey's comet" by madagascar
audio clips from the fabulous 75 or less
screen door opening and shutting as t works outside on various projects
the buzzing of flourescent lights outside of sears
the raveonettes. perfect music for spring, i think! our favorite of their cds is "chain gang of love".

a love letter to my current place of residence

dearest durham,

eight months is not a long time. i'm still getting to know you and confess that i probably hold you up next to denver and boulder. comparing you to them is like comparing oranges and apples. it just isn't fair! so, i'm sorry durham.

you have been a wonderful place to reside these past months. truly. you have an abundance of green and warmth along with the eno river that runs right through. in addition, there is duke gardens which is an amazing place with so much beauty. i can't wait to see it fully in bloom in the next couple of weeks.

you are in between both of our families which is nice. it makes holidays and other gatherings so much easier. you are a hop, skip, and a jump from DC and are a mere hour's plane ride to NYC.

you have an awesome farmer's market that continues to grow, a good art scene (the nasher musuem of art and the branch gallery are here), a fabulous old theater that shows indie flicks, a great small theater with superb plays and a recycle/reuse center called the scrap exchange.

we get to see wonderful bands as you are the home to merge records and many shows are booked in nearby chapel hill.

you are the home to some wonderful festivals too such as the full frame documentary festival, ms. films festival, the american dance festival...see, i could go on and on. you do have it together...more than i give you credit for.

your old buildings are breathtaking and they seem to be around every turn. i am particularly fond of the red brick tobacco buildings. your real estate is relatively inexpensive. we could even buy a house if we wanted. and we may, we'll just have to see.

living here isn't really bad at all. it's just so different from the past 2 years in colorado and maybe a little too similar to the first 29 years of my life!

i am looking forward to getting to know you a little better this summer. i'll forgive you for being so hot and humid since you are a pretty cool place.

love from a new resident,
shari

a love letter to the west

dear boulder & denver,

thank you for introducing me to western life. you really swept me off my feet. having never lived anywhere other than the southeast i was (and continue to be) amazed by your beauty. nothing rivals your landscape.

immediately i noticed your colors: clay red, wheat brown, stone gray, and pale blue. at first they were so different than the greens of my childhood but i came to love them and now i long for them. and the sky!!! it is so much bigger in colorado, isn't it? the wide open plains and those amazing cloudscapes. i never realized the pure beauty of clouds until i came west.

living in colorado led to many adventures in your neighboring states. south dakota, utah, wyoming, new mexico. we traveled constantly taking in so many new sights, smells, tastes, sounds. we hiked weekly when we were residing in your beauty, and each hike was so different from the next.

some of the best food i've ever tasted was in colorado. the farmer's markets were plentiful and the restaurants divine.

boulder, thank you for being small and charming. we loved living in your town and being able to walk everywhere. you are just so beautiful.

denver, thank you for being large and diverse. we loved our little neighborhood but so enjoyed exploring other parts of your great city. you had the most fabulous library and a great art museum. you are exciting and interesting and beautiful in your own way.

oh if only you were located on the east coast closer to our family and friends. i think we would gladly call you home again.

we miss you.

sending you love from the east,
shari

a love letter to my hometown

dear orangeburg, sc,

i was born within your green, warm walls 32 years ago and have lived in you for over half of my life. i think it is due time that i thank you, for i know that being enveloped in your surroundings has greatly influenced who i am today. as a small child, i grew up eating cupcakes and sugar cookies from your sugarplum shoppe. i walked barefoot in your grass. i built forts on your wooded lots across the street from my first childhood home on hart street. you are filled with dogwood trees and azalea bushes. i still have a special place in my heart for both.

you are the home to the edisto gardens. in the summer, the rose blossoms there smelled wonderful, and the black waters of the edisto river moved quickly taking my mind to faraway places. because you were so small, i learned to dream.

you made snow seem so very magical as your climate was very warm and we never expected such a delightful treat. every once in awhile, i would awaken to discover snow outside and frosty windowpanes, and it just seemed that life was perfect. there is beauty in small places. you taught me that too.

you were wonderfully positioned between columbia and charleston which led to many great adventures as i grew older. you were the home to the largest huddle house in america and one of only two revolving mcdonald's signs. you were small, and i learned to appreciate the small things in life.

you were my home for so many years. i was able to live a block away from my grandparents and walk or bike to see them however often i wished, spending time cooking with my granny or gathering vegetables with my pop.

you are the place where i learned to ride a bike, had my first kiss and my first job. those are things i'll never forget.

you are the final resting place for my pop. hold him close orangeburg.

thank you for the memories and thank you for being my home for eighteen years. you always made me feel safe.

love from one of yours,
shari

sense of place

lately, i've been thinking a good deal about sense of place and what that phrase means to me. t and i are trying to figure out where we need to be and i have actually been suffering from the grass is always greener mentality which makes these decisions even more difficult.

we are wanting to put our roots down. buy a house. start a garden. find work that we love. embrace a place completely, good and bad. we are just trying to figure out if that place is where we are currently.

my plan (and the job i moved across the country for) to help open a preschool for fall 2006 did not work out and therefore, i am questioning whether durham is the place for us. it is quite easy to look back to the last place we lived (denver) and remember only the best aspects of living there. yet, there were also important details we could not overlook such as having our families and friends on the east coast and having to fly to see them. it's expensive and i am such an anxious passenger.

so now, we're just trying to sort out what type of place we're looking for. we drove up to charlottesville, va this weekend. i heard that it resembled boulder, co a little. t and i love the mountains and this little college town sits at the foot of the mountains. if you've never been to see the blue ridge mountains or the shenandoah valley, it is just gorgeous. while we were walking around, we recognized that cville was not that different from durham in and of itself. the major difference was the scenery...mountains and rolling hills vs. typical piedmont area of the south....flat, in between mtns. and sea...very green.

what makes a place special? do you have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate the subtle ways that a place is unique? is place important? does it justify another move?

to help in my thinking of this, i am going to write a love letter of sorts to the different places i've lived beginning with my hometown. next, i will focus on colorado as it is the only place other than the south that i've lived and finally ending with my current place of residence durham. hopefully, this exercise will give me some insight into the difficult decisions that lie ahead for us.

would love to hear more about the places you live and what sense of place means to you.
xo
shari

five senses friday

hello friends! it's five senses friday! as always, please join in with your faves.

sight:

marci washington-i LOVE her work. check out her at night zine.
beautiful brown eggs we collect from the chickens at preschool
art 21: episode 1: place featuring barry mcgee and margaret kilgallen!
illustrations by kim rosen. check out her patterns
this self-portrait. her whole collection is such an inspiration to me!

taste:

vegetable pot stickers
salt and pepper french fries
rich potato, carrot, corn, and onion chowder
man kind (blueberry green) tea from the republic of tea
warm, chocolatey brownies


smell:

brownies!
fresh laundry
vanilla shaving cream from kiss my face
nature's gate spring scented deodorant


hear:

t's coffee spoon, stirring in a small amount of sugar and his first big slurp of coffee...whenever he wakes up before me!
jafar (the lone rooster) crowing each morning at the preschool where I teach
stephen miller, an essayist, on his new book conversation on the diane rehm show on npr
the soothing voice of my yoga teacher (sommer) as she reminded the class to smile
the sound of the dishwasher



touch:

kelp-we're studying the sea in my preschool class
my soft white and blue sweater
the heat in my car blowing on my feet (in flip flops) after yoga class
the warmth of my blue fleece while outside on a cold and windy day
my headband touching slightly behind my ears

spring fashion

with spring on its way, i thought i'd turn our attention to jewelry. spring/summer is the perfect time to use jewelry to help create your look. what are your favorite pieces of jewelry and did you receive them as gifts or did you pick them out yourself?

i have a bit of an antique jewelry collection from my granny that is just so special: a cameo ring, my great grandmother's engagement ring that is so beautiful and in my eyes absolute perfection. i save these pieces for special occasions but want to start wearing them more often.

my other favorite jewelry pieces are those that t has bought for me. i always like to see what he picks out as i think it represents a little piece of him...a geometric necklace from a gallery in austin texas, an antique pink button ring from boulder, co and a white gold locket with a tiny diamond that i received as a christmas present this year.


on to fashion links:


gracia suggested i take a look at zambesi and i just love this prairie skirt and the wood grain dress (lisa c i also thought of you!).

abigail loves dries van noten and recommended the spring/summer collection as one of her faves of the season. sihouettes 20 and 38 are two of my favorites!!

the sartorialist-such fun to see nyc street style. i'm so glad he's started to take more pictures of women's style. it's become a daily read, recently.

high tea with mrs. woo- all i can muster is WOW!

tomorrow is friday...five senses friday that is. please join me, if you'd like. thanks for all of your comments this week. i'm glad you like to talk about fashion! my only wish is that i could see all of your outfits daily for more fashion inspiration!!

there's always a little quirk in there somewhere

i love clothes that are unique although my wardrobe doesn't really reflect this right now. recently, i feel the need to give more thought to my wardrobe. i'm going to begin seeking out pieces that fit my ideal style. i want to spend more time building a wardrobe, taking my time.

right now, my closet is full of clothes that don't go together very well. this is because i often don't take the time to think about what is already in my closet when i am making a purchase. i am notorious for impulse buys. oooh, i like it. take it up to the register and get on with life. however, this leaves me with the difficult task of trying to put together shirts, pants, and skirts that don't quite go so well with the other pieces i own.

my new strategy is to buy most of my clothes in subtle colors so that they can be combined to form different outfits. in other words, i need more basics. i also want to spend more time considering how each piece of clothing i like can fit into my current wardrobe. if i think i will have to buy more in order to make it work, i am going to put it right back on the rack.
i love vintage pieces and i think i want to actively incorporate more vintage pieces into my wardrobe. note to self: look for nice cotton button up short sleeve shirts in a soft floral print for summer!

now for my favorite quirky items in my closet:

my pop's super soft well-used golf shirts (see above photo). i love these so much...these were a part of his everyday uniform. in the summer, i like to wear them with jeans or a skirt or sometimes as night shirts. they are very big and so comfy.

my vintage coat...the color and print are hard to mix and match but it is my favorite!

pinstriped oshkosh begosh overalls. last year when i taught preschool in denver, a little three-year-old (thomas) had the exact same pair. we were twins more than once that year. :)

when you purchase clothing and accessories, what do you look for? what are some of the things that you consider before adding another item to your closet?

tell me your fashion secrets. :)
xo
shari

wardrobe favorites/the uniform

i know i've mentioned many times before how much i like andrea zittel and her uniforms. i love the idea of a uniform that incorporates one's personal style. a uniform, unlike a school uniform, that celebrates individuality and creative expression while also embracing sustainability. i particularly like zittel's felted dresses. so simple yet stylish. it must be so freeing in some ways to have a uniform, especially a uniform that you created by hand to suit your own style. i sure wouldn't mind wearing one of these lovely dresses exclusively at least for a little while.

how about you? do you have pieces in your closet that are near and dear to you? what is the oldest piece of clothing or accessory that you own and that you wear often? if you had to choose one outfit to wear for let's say one month, what items would you choose?

after viewing zittel's dresses, i asked myself this question and found it difficult to answer. lately, i feel so fickle. nothing in my wardrobe is holding my attention. two years ago, it was a lovely, thick gray wool sweater with a large collar and one large button to fasten it. i would wear this sweater constantly...with jeans, on top of dresses and at the slightest hint of cool in an otherwise warm day. i think i still have this sweater in the bottom of my dry cleaning pile in serious need of a good washing.

now, my uniform mainly consists of footwear: either brown simple brand clogs (soft sole) or dansko black clogs (hard sole). if you see me, you can rest assured that i will be wearing either one or the other.

however, if i am going for comfort (and shouldn't a uniform be comfortable?), i would choose my white, thin (read soft) cotton boat neck tee with blue stripes and three quarter sleeves, my gray sweater that has not been in the mix for awhile, a pair of worn in blue jeans and my tri-color chuck taylors (see tales of fashion past).

ok, ok enough wishing it would be autumn forever. my spring/summer uniform would be a white tank top (ribbed) with my mid-length white skirt with orange, yellow green flowers. it looks very 50's. oh and my reef flip flops.

looking forward to reading about your "uniforms". now, let me go sort through my large dry cleaning pile and see if i can find that sweater...

xo,
shari

fashion inspiration

so for my first fashion post, i am interested in inspiration. in the fashion world, what excites you?


i love chloe. hands down my favorite looks for fall 2006. this is what i wished my wardrobe looked like. just fill my closet with these five outfits and i would be set! i love the subtle colors, the details, the flow and movement in the dresses. with fashion, i am either immediately attracted to an outfit or feel rather indifferent. with chloe fall 2006, it was love at first sight.

i know that i feel most inspired by fall/winter clothes. autumn is absolutely my favorite season of the year by far. i love the possibilities of layering: adding a jacket, hat, scarf to make an outfit more unique and a truer expression of your creative self. besides, layers create mystery. bits and pieces of clothing come together to form a unique look.

it is much more difficult for me to get excited by spring/summer clothing. as the weather grows warmer, layers disappear and what you see is what you get. i never seem to be enthusiastic about my summer wardrobe. nothing but tees, tanks, shorts, the ocassional cotton print skirt and sandals or flip flops. however, i might feel differently, if i could sew. if i could design my own shirts and skirts, choosing pretty fabric, perhaps i would be a little more excited about my spring/summer outfits.

when i look back at the images i selected for today's post, i hope to find elements of style that can be identified and then translated to my own closet. certain color combinations. certain detailing. how the clothes were layered. keeping these elements in mind, i hope to be on the lookout for pieces that will help transform my closet. i want to feel good in my clothes--to feel like me.

where do you turn for fashion inspiration? what excites you? do you have a favorite fashion collection for spring or fall 06? if so, do you just dream of adding these pieces to your closet or do you actively use the inspiration to influence your personal style?

until tomorrow,
shari

(all images from style.com)

five senses friday

hello! it's that time of the week again to select my five senses favorites. i am delighted to say that gracia and abigail are participating this week so please check out their lists as well. :)


taste:
hazelnut gelato from ciao bella
homemade buttermilk pie ( a southern favorite prepared by our friend matt)
juicy kiwis
spicy grilled peppers
foamy perfection in a vanilla latte

sight:
lovely links (plumo and sweet felt goods) via the very cool risa
bright yellow forsythia in my headlights after yoga class
orange and brown goldfish in our backyard pond
the wonderfully cute scribblers from hammer and daisy

hear:
frances mayes reading from her new book a year in the world (just learned that she moved to durham, nc)
classical music *verdi* while driving in my car
children oohing and ahhing after a story is read
"drivin' on 9" by the breeders
hungry kitties meowing for their dinners

smell:
fresh air from having the windows open this week
winter daphne blossoms in our backyard...intoxicating! :)
grills being fired up for warm weather cookouts
method cucumber dish soap
a variety of herbs in the herb garden at the botanic gardens in chapel hill

touch:
puffy plastic bag filled with cool water and goldfish
bumpy steering wheel
long sleeves--as i pull them down over my wrists
soft leaves of the sage plant
guitar strings

happy st. patrick's day! are you wearing green? hope everyone has a sensory overload of a weekend, in a good way, of course. :)
xo
shari

tales of fashion present

so, this is me today, looking quite unsure of myself as t snaps a quick picture. :) it's a good day for a photo because this outfit feels like me.

brown simple clogs
black heathered socks
north face boot cut jeans from rei
black and white button up shirt from target (with sleeves pulled down...a trademark move of mine)
black zip up hooded sweatshirt
a handmade headband by pear
two tone (black/clear) glasses that i love but are really scratched and in need of being replaced


tales of fashion present are quite plain and a little more based on comfort and function than on style and expression. as a preschool teacher, i need washable clothes that i can move in and be comfortable in throughout the day. i sit on the floor a lot, kids spill paint and juice on me, and i get sand in my shoes on the playground. :)

however, lately i've been thinking more about how clothing can be used to express yourself. mav has said several times before that our clothing choices can be a form of artistic expression, and while i knew that, it has been such a nice reminder. this idea has particular appeal to me as i feel that i am a creative person but do not draw, sew, paint, etc. i LOVE the idea of thoughtfully choosing pieces to put together as an expression of my creativity and as a reflection of who i am.

in college, i think i experimented more with fashion on a daily basis. now, more than ten years after graduating, i have fallen into a sort of fashion rut. currently, i have only serious basics in my closet (jeans, cords, sweaters, long sleeve and short sleeve tshirts, a few skirts, and a few vintage pieces). in addition, i am falling way short in the accesories department. my love of chunky jewelry (in middle and high school) has given way to absolutely no jewelry unless it is a very special occasion. i definitely think i would like to incorporate more accessories (particularly hats, scarves, rings, and necklaces) into my repertoire.

so next week i will be focusing the conversation on fashion and hope you will join in. each day i plan to post a picture of an outfit that inspires me and will use it to ask a question regarding style, expression, and fashion in general. in addition, i will be posting a few faves from my current wardrobe as well.

hope you are dreaming up big plans for this weekend...tomorrow is 5 senses friday. if you want to join in, please post your favorite 5 ( or 1 or 3) in each sensory category that stood out to you this week.

xo
shari

tales of fashion past

when i was a little girl, i had a favorite dress. brown and green plaid sleeves (long), skirt to the knees or a little lower, and my favorite part, a black velvet kitty on the left hand side of the dress. i loved this dress and often requested to wear it with my little brown mary janes. i was very young when it was purchased for me (probably 4 years old) but i remember this dress so clearly. after time, the dress became far too short for me to wear. tears upon tears were cried for this dress and that lovely velvet kitty. so, my mom, being desperate and creative, decided to let me wear the dress as a shirt over pants. voila! it was like magic. my dress was saved. i remember feeling so good when i would wear my favorite dress as a shirt over jeans. like i had a superhero costume on or something. it seemed so cool, so fun to wear a dress as a shirt.

in elementary-middle school, i had other favorites. i loved esprit and wanted my whole wardrobe to be nothing but. the foreign name, the colorful ads. plus, we had to drive to columbia (about 35 min. away) to find the cool pieces. i thought i was so lucky to be able to shop at the mall in columbia, sc.

i went through an all black phase for a year or so in high school where a typical outfit would consist of a short black skirt with black patterning, black opaque tights, a black top, black boots, and black eyeliner with big chunky earrings and necklaces and very often, a black hat. teenage angst at its best. i also liked large sweaters over tight leggings with same black eyeliner and chunky jewelry. in history class (taught by the football coach), i was often asked to stand up and show everyone what i was wearing. yes, he was making fun of me and yes, i spent most of tenth grade history embarassed. consider that i went to a private school with the same kids since first grade and that it was in rural sc and that the strong majority of these kids wore very preppy clothes.. try khakis and izod.

then my last year in high school, i went for a more hippie look. wide legged, candy striped jeans with tie dyed tshirts and birkenstocks with socks. i grew my hair long. it didn't last long, thank goodness.

for a few years from about 10th grade-1st year in college, i worked in a little boutique that a friend of my family owned. it was here that i came to love leon max. wide legged pants...funky wrap around and tie jackets...lots of rayon.

in college, i loved the tweeds catalog (what i think has now become j jill). they had funky baby doll dresses that i loved to wear with opaque tights. empire waists became my friends as did boots of all kinds with dresses. still loved hats, overalls, vintage dresses, thermals with tshirts on top.

oh and chuck taylors (see above photo). bought a pair of tri-color hi tops. they are so comfortable. my comfort shoes. whenever i'm feeling down, i put on these shoes. seriously. t complimented me on them way back when. cool shoes, i think he said. still have those very ones.

this is leading into a conversation that i want to have with you about fashion, style, and expression through clothing. tomorrow i will continue this train of thought with tales of fashion present. but for now, what are your favorite outfits or styles of the past? can you remember your favorite outfit from when you were a child? i would love to hear about it.

until tomorrow,
shari

yesterday, i went to foster's to visit with a friend over vanilla and hazelnut lattes. i don't know what they do differently, but their lattes are the best. the foam is near perfection, and the flavoring is subtle unlike the drinks i've had at other cafes that have been saturated with the sugary syrup. yes, i like vanilla, but i want to taste the espresso too, please.

then, t and i spent the afternoon sorting through some boxes in our garage searching for picture frames and trying to do a bit of spring cleaning.

this weekend, the farmer's market re-opens in carrboro, nc, which is about 25 minutes away (our durham market opens a few weeks later). i think i take the market for granted in the summer...it's open each weekend. however, i surely miss it when it closes for the season. early morning breezes, strong coffee, breakfast pastries, colorful produce, chatting with the farmers, conjuring up recipes, the community, the milling about, the fresh flowers. can't wait!!

on a different note, hoping for happy accidents had a great post on ceramics as well as info about what sounds like a fabulous literary magazine called a public space. looking forward to picking up the first issue. i love kelly's posts and have been checking in daily!

*the photos from yesterday and today were taken while riding amtrak to nyc. i love the fields, clouds, colors. the windows were very dirty which gave the photos a brownish tint that i rather like.

happy tuesday!

this weekend was quite relaxing and slow paced. we did indeed make a trip to the botanical gardens and while most of the plants had not erupted into their most alluring state, we did enjoy a leisurely stroll through the herb garden followed by a short hike on the nature trail. we also tried out a new recipe on saturday for savory vegetable cheesecake...a little like a quiche made with ricotta cheese.

the deep south has been enjoying temps in the eighties. i must say i'm a little worried though. does this mean our summer will be unbearable?

oh and our sky chair was hung this weekend, marking the change of seasons and therefore, much more time spent on our tiny side porch. days of swinging around in our bright cobalt chair while drinking lemonade and reading a good book are certainly on their way. in boulder, these chairs were on every front porch but we have yet to see one here.

did you see that our dear lovely abigail is today's monday muse?!! she is quite the muse isn't she? :)

some lovely links for you today
jewelry: rachael sudlow
photography: mimi ko
art: ian dingman
accessories: craftpaca

if you are having a busy monday, stop for a moment: breathe and smile.

happy working and playing!
shari

lazy saturday

*this is my newest print purchase. i. could. not. pass. it. up. i even held off for a few days hoping the urge would pass but this morning i gave in. lovely, don't you think? check out more of ryan jacob smith's work here.

we made it to saturday. the dutch baby is in the oven per my request to indulge one day earlier, the weather is nice-mid to upper seventies and we have absolutely no plans for the day. i'm eager to see how the day unfolds.

i am, however, scheming up a few ideas:

a visit to the botanical gardens in chapel hill

a trip to the grocery store to buy ingredients for a slow, homecooked dinner

a little violin practice

a late night movie with popcorn

a stroll down ninth street

listening to our new neko case and matson jones cds

a little time on my yoga mat


hope you're filling up your saturday with wonderful things. can't wait to hear all about it.

xo
shari

a new york alphabet q-z

q is for queens. after a long metro ride and a bus transfer we arrived at the home of friends for the oscar party. we had a friendly competition of who could guess the recipients of the awards. i came in 2nd and won farm animal sponges in capsules. (see also j)

r is for raw food. i talked everyone into having dinner at pure food and wine, despite the cold weather and the desire for a hot meal. we tried most everything on the menu as there were six of us and not many more options in each category. i thought that the dishes were very creative, fresh, and yummy. of course we all had our favorites. the best part was dividing everything up into sixths and then coordinating a plate pass around the table.

s is for steinhof and spaetzle. cafe and cheese, respectively.

t is for tee. upon abby's recommendation, i searched out a store that carried bonnie heart clyde clothes. now i have a new spring green tee with fiddlehead fern embroidery to wear in these 70 degree temps we are having.

t is also for tea from teany. delicious vanilla green sencha.

u is for undercover as in incognito. our friend, evan, was determined to find and peruse the brooklyn superhero supply company in park slope. what a fun shop. evan bought a new mcsweeney's and then had to put the purchase and money in a vault (think bank teller) and then recite the superhero pledge. you also must come up with a superhero name (he chose the villain) and tell how you intend to use your superpowers (for good). we had watched two young boys do this earlier but did not guess that evan would be asked to do the same. :)

v is for vynl. hello breakfast for dinner. i had the latin scramble which is similar to one of my all time favorites-migas (austin texas style). the bathrooms here were great. you could pick your poison. i went into the cher bathroom. upon entering, you notice a mosaic tile of said musician, their music blaring, and a barbie doll in their persona. craziness. other bathroom themes included dolly, elvis, and nelly. we really chose this place due to its proximity to the gershwin as we needed a quick bite before the show.

w is for west side, upper. our home base for the trip.

x is for xtremely windy. on our walk by the Hudson, the wind was almost unbearable (Friday).

y is for yarn. the one thing i wanted to do but didn't was hit a yarn shop. maybe next time.

z is for zen palate. oh so delicious shepherd's pie croquettes with taro chips and salad and fresh spring rolls. our last fabulous new york dinner.

next week, i will return to posting 5 Senses Friday. hope everyone has a fun weekend ahead of them. thanks for reading.
xo
shari

a new york city alphabet i-p

i is for ice rink. we love walking in central park and stopped by the ice rink to take a peek at some local competition.

j is for junk food. we stopped by economy candy in order to pick up our favorite movie candy to take with us to an oscars party on sunday. t loves sugar babies. i prefer raisinets. we also got small packets of whoppers, 100 grand, and some sour patch kids (to mix with popcorn-sounds bad but is actually quite good). sugar overload. we were definitely feeling the effects on monday.

k is kitties. we saw so many cats sleeping and relaxing in stores and galleries. it made us miss our two little guys (rilke and miles).

l is for levain bakery. on saturday our hosts sprinted across the street to pick up a sampler of delicious breads/pastries from this tiny bakery. so so good. we feasted on oatmeal and golden raisin scones, chocolate chip brioche, a delightfully soft and powdery jelly doughnut, and a baguette with raspberry jam and butter.

m is for MoMA friday free day. t and i waited in line outside in the cold air and wind gusts in order to see the edvard munch exhibit. bold and colorful. other highlights: spanish architecture, the work of ryan mclaughlin, and the design floor.

n is for nuts of the hot, honey roasted peanut variety. picked up near central park zoo for snacking and watching the delacorte clock chime.

o is for outside. despite the cold weather, we spent a good portion of our trip outside. i think i could walk forever in nyc. so much to see and take in. my feet get tired sure but my desire to see and do propels me forward.

p is for planetarium. on our last night in nyc, we took a stroll by the planetarium, which was all lit up in the prettiest shade of blue. glowing. we walked quietly in the night and allowed our eyes to take in the beauty. it was our final farewell to the city.

a new york city alphabet

so sorry about not posting 5 senses friday. at the last minute, i decided not to bring my computer so i could enjoy nyc sans distractions. my trip was fabulous and in order to hit all of the highlights i have created a nyc alphabet for you.

a is for amtrak. 11 relaxing hrs. to nyc and 12 miserable hrs. home. lots of cards, magazines, tunes on the ipod, photos.

b is for babycakes. delicious chocolate and vanilla cupcakes; vegan; cute shop.

c is for chelsea and the chelsea art museum where we saw the wonderful andrea zittel exhibit. we later learned a friend's brother contributed a wagon station to zittel's whitney exhibit.

d is for driving from manhattan to new haven, connecticut to visit t's uncle and grandmother.

e is for elphaba, aka the wicked witch of the west. we saw wicked on friday evening and enjoyed the night out on broadway.

f is for f & b--a lunch of veggie dogs and pomme frites with garlic aioli.

g is for gruzen samton, the architecture firm where our friend works. we got the big tour, saw the lovely view from his office window and warmed up with chocolate tea from the chocolate bar.

h is for happy owl glassworks and the bat necklace i purchased in brooklyn at cog and pearl.

tomorrow i will post i-p so stay tuned. for now, i am looking forward to catching up on my blog reading as well as doing some unpacking and general straightening of things at home.

hope you all have a nice wednesday.

final preparations

last night when we should have been doing laundry, t and i drove to raleigh to go to a book reading by elizabeth gilbert. i'm not sure why, but we are usually the only ones in our age group there. book signings/reading seem to attract an older crowd. anyway, we enjoyed the reading and i came home with two books that i'm really excited about: eat, pray, love and a taxonomy of barnacles, pictured above.


so, today we make final preparations for our nyc trip by rail. first, I must teach yoga to a rowdy bunch of kindergarteners, pop in to wish a friend happy birthday, squeeze in a yoga class, and meet a dear friend from denver who is in town for business. whew! how will i get it all done?

this morning I heard from my friend heather that it may snow a few inches in nyc tomorrow. if so, it will be our first proper dose of winter weather all year. it is strange to be packing sweaters, though, when it will be in the seventies here today.

plans have already started to formulate for our long weekend. we are hoping to see the andrea zittel exhibit at the new museum in chelsea and are going to travel to park slope for saturday browsing. i will be heading straight to rare device as i have been eyeing karin's tea lights, rena's urban girl necklace, and the letterpress printed notebook from portugal by serrote.

in addition, we will be either renting a car or taking a commuter train to new haven to wish t's grandmother a happy 99th bday! i am very glad that we will be able to stop in and spend some time with her.

i'm leaving you with a few art links. i have been enjoying finding sites that support up and coming artists and that offer prints/paintings at reasonable prices for those of us trying to fill our lives with beauty but on limited funds. :)

we *heart* prints
the beholder



until 5 senses friday...have a great week everyone.
shari