Sigh. Il est tres difficile d’ГЄtreВ un chat.
(Thanks to Karen for introducing me to Henri–so appropriate for watching on a Tuesday afternoon!)
A Happy Saturday (and Sunday)
I’ve been spoiled. My two favorite people have made the trip from Maryland to NYC two weekends in a row. And this weekend, I had the added bonus of having our friend, Doug, in town, as well. So to celebrate our converging in NYC, we spent the entire weekend doing what we do best: Eating.
Saturday was the kind of day I’ve been craving for so long: Warm, sunny, gorgeous and perfect for whiling away hours outside. (As in, it FINALLY felt like summer–which I’ve been counting down to before winter even began.) We headed across the river toВ Smorgasburg.
Not surprisingly, tons of people had the same idea. The lot was crowded, but we didn’t have to wait very long for food. Between the four of us, we amassed quite a spread: a gigantic carnitas sandwich from Cemita’s, a chicken schnitzel on a pretzel roll from Schnitz NYC, loroco and pork papusas from Solber PapusasВ (my personal favorites) and a pizza from Pizza MotoВ (which had, to my delight, a runny egg on top). Everything was reeeeeeeeally delicious.
After eating…
…we just hung out enjoying the sun and view of the Manhattan skyline.
We’d planned to hit Brooklyn Brewery next, but a crazy line outside discouraged us from even bothering with it. Instead, we made our way to Berry Park‘s roof deck–and that ended up being way nicer. (Brooklyn Brewery, you need an outside space!) The place was packed, but we amazingly managed to score seats.
Yay! We got seats!
A couple hours (and beers and girly huckleberry lemonades, on my part) later, we moseyed back across the river for shopping and Korean BBQ.
On Sunday, we all headed out to Long Island to celebrate Peter’s father’s bday. His mom–always the amazing cook–put together an awesome spread of cheeses, meats, bread and veggies, plus hardboiled eggs from last week’s Easter celebration. (How gorgeous are these? Mariana explained that she just places herb leaves flat against the eggs, carefully wraps them in stockings and then boils them with onion skin.)
I was sad when we all headed off in our own directions, but glad to squeeze in a 5 mile run to work off the weekend’s calories. (And I’m already looking forward to heading down to Maryland next weekend–after my trip to Chicago this weekend!)
(Second photo via Smorgasburg)
WHEN I KNOW MAL AND PETER ARE COMING TO TOWN
I’m like:
Can’t wait to see you guys tonight! вќ¤
Image via my favorite Tumblr of the moment,В What We Should Call Me.
Hemingway’s Words of Wisdom
The other day, I came across these awesome printsВ via Sho & Tell.В I loved all of them, but the one above stood out to me.
I’m not badass like Hemingway. I don’t sit in my cube typing and swirling a cocktail. (Though there are days when I wish that were the truth!) But as someone who makes a living with words, I appreciate the sentiment.
Every writer knows that your best work comes out when you’re uninhibited and honest and not censoring yourself. In fact, years ago, another writer friend and I used to joke that the best way to write was to pretend you’re drunk and don’t care–and then go back and clean it up later.
It also helps if you truly care about your subject…but if you don’t then maybe that’s a case for taking Heminway’s advice and having a drink or two before getting down to business.
Image via Obvious State
Ragnar Relay: Let’s Do This!
Anyone who has had the pleasure (misfortunte?) of spending time with me, Mal or Peter over the past few weeks can attest to one thing: We’re fixated on putting together a Ragnar Relay team.
Ragnar has been around for a few years and all their races follow this format: Teams of 12 people run 200 miles–in some of the country’s most scenic areas–over 36 hours, including overnight. Each person runs three legs that range in distance from about 2 to 12 miles. (So someone might run 3.8 miles, then 7 miles, then 3 miles.) And since the race is designed for people of all skill levels, your group can include both beginners, who just run a few miles each leg, and seasoned runners, who can take on 10 or so miles in a leg.
We looked through almost all the courses and decided that the Miami to Florida Keys relay seems the most appealing. The route is flat, gorgeous (right along the water and over several bridges!) and it’s next January, which leaves plenty of time to train. Plus, it’d be a perfect excuse to escape to someplace warm and sunny in the middle of winter with all our friends, accomplish something huge (200-miles between 12 people!) and rent a sweet vacation homeВ to celebrate in for a day or two after the race. Oh, and get some good exercise in, too.
Seven Mile Bridge--who wouldn't want to run over this?
I’m not an avid runner. I actually stopped running regularly a few years ago when I decided I’d rather spend four days a week doing ballet instead of logging miles on a treadmill. But I still enjoy a good run, especially outdoors and when there’s a goal to work toward. And we’re all convinced this would be an amazing, challenging experience of a lifetime.
This video, showcasing this year’s Florida Keys run, sells it pretty well (though I’m admittedly a sucker for triumphant sporty videos set to inspirational music):
At this point, a few otherВ crazy peopleВ awesome friends have decided they’re up for joining us. If you’re up for it, too, let me know!
(Top photo via Ragnar’s Facebook page, bottom photo via flickr.com/toastforbrekkie)
NYC’s Best Wedding Videographers: 15 Minutes of Frame
I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical when Mal and Peter booked a videographer for their wedding. I figured that their photos would be amazing enough–would they really need a video, too? Plus, all the wedding videos I’d seen in the past were pretty lame with cheesy effects and stilted well-wishes from guests forced to speak into a microphone shoved in their face.
My opinion completely changed this weekend when Mal and Peter showed me their full-length wedding video by 15 Minutes of Frame. The company (coincidentally run by a fellow BU grad) provides each couple with a 20-minute full-length video, as well as a shorter highlights clip. The full-length video totally blew me away. It perfectly captured the emotion of the wedding ceremony (which left me sniffling and reaching for tissues), the fun of the reception and just how wonderful the day was for Mal, Peter and everyone involved (which had me laughing and grinning)–without being the slightest bit cheesy or cliche. I didn’t even cringe too much watching parts of my maid-of-honor speech!
Here’s the shorter highlights clip which is just as great as the full-length:
mallory + peter (highlights) from 15 Minutes of Frame on Vimeo.
Love This: OPI New York City Ballet Nail Polish Collection
Sure, it’s a marketing gimmick. But I’m a sucker for most things ballet and I’m loving OPI’s just-released New York City Ballet-inspired nail polishes. I’m already planning to make “Barre My Soul” and “My Pointe Exactly” my go-to summer shades (which will hopefully cover up the purple bruise under my big toenail which is, coincidentally, from ballet.)
OPI's Barre My Soul
OPI's My Pointe Exactly
