Posted in: Uncategorized
No. Not me. My hairstylist. Next week. After 18 years in New York (and at least 12 or 13 years cutting my hair), my awesome hair guy is moving back to his home country, Japan. He'll be in Tokyo building his own hair styling business. If you or someone you know is (or is going to be) in Tokyo, I strongly encourage you to look him up. The world deserves Kenji hair, even if I can't have it anymore.
I read this poem by James Richardson in a recent New Yorker and, a few days later, had to stop everything to root through bags and various recycling bins in my home to find it again. I tore it out and now it's on my 'fridge. I couldn't find any way/place to link to the poem in a way that anyone can read it - the link above goes to the New Yorker's website where you need a subscription to read the whole thing, but it's from the October 14 New Yorker which has a dog on the cover so . . . maybe keep an eye out. Some doctor's office or friend's bathroom in your not-too-distant future is bound to have it.
Wow! September was a zippy whirlwind which was great and also a little sad since September is my favorite month and I wouldn't have minded a little more time to luxuriate in it. Here are most of the things that happened in September:
I just need a minute to catch my breath and then, watch out, October!
Although Autumn won't officially begin 'till September 22, I think it's safe to say that with the calendar click over into September and the passage of Labor Day, spiritually we're into Fall. I for one couldn't be happier! I love EVERYTHING about Fall. I love the way the air smells, I love the clothes I get to wear, I love going back to school (or, this year, starting my kiddo in school for the first time!). I love apple picking and soup and making bread. I love being outside in the cooler air, the changing colors, and getting back to a more regular schedule than the chaotic months of Summer tend to cultivate.
What do you love (or hate?) about Autumn?
Hey The Blog! It's been too long - I've been auditioning and acting and taking care of some family stuff and researching preschools, none of which has been conducive to blogging. So to fill the void while I catch up on things over here, here are two videos for you: 1. You may have seen this one - it's kind of sweeping the internet.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPhbVTf52Go]
2. This one is NOT sweeping the internet but I find it endlessly fascinating/hilarious/odd/weird.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqzt3T4R38c]
Leave a comment and . . . Strike, Mr. Ando! Strike!
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Joanna Goddard who writes A Cup Of Jo. (With apologies, last week events conspired against my posting my last two posts about Ms. Goddard which is why (you may notice) she's in weeks 3 and 4.) One of my favorite things every week is the Cup Of Joe Friday e-mail with a little blurb about what Ms. Goddard and her family are up to for the weekend and then a bunch of great links to fun and interesting stuff all over the web. Here is last Friday's to give you a taste. I'll often save these Friday posts 'till I have the time to click every single link. I have my browser set up to make new tabs every time I click a link so I'll have this huge lineup of tabs and then I'll work my way through - it's like eating dessert on the internet. Anyway, I can't hold a candle to the Cup of Jo roundups, but here are some of my favorite links for your clicking pleasure, nonetheless:
This and this are two of my favorite youtube videos of all time (note that both are educational!)
The recent Royal Baby Watch reminded me of this gem
And, speaking of, here is an excellent chart about Royal Succession
The man who turned dog walking into a business recently died
If you didn't see it, I encourage you to watch the President's remarks about Trayvon Martin
My friends Jeffrey and Joseph have a podcast that is wildly successful! (maybe you would like it too?!)
Little People street art
This new service prints you a backup key if you accidentally get locked out of your apartment! (would you use this?)
Lately I really want to make these, these and these (if only my 1 year old felt the same!)
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Joanna Goddard who writes A Cup Of Jo. (With apologies, last week events conspired against my posting my last two posts about Ms. Goddard which is why (you may notice) she's in weeks 3 and 4.) Some of the Cup of Jo posts I think back on most frequently are the ones where Ms. Goddard offers some tip or advice from a purely personal perspective. I often think of this one and this one. By the time I read it, I was too late to put this one to good use, but I passed it on to a girlfriend or two.
Anyway, I figured I would share some relationship advice of my own . . .
Meet once a week to check in about how the relationship is going.
Maybe that sounds daunting or boring, or lame, or un-sexy, but it doesn't have to be any of those things. Honest! My husband and I started doing this to balance out my inclination to react quickly and over-talk any conflict or emotional issue that came up during the week and his inclination to under-communicate about the same sorts of things. We'd usually do it over brunch on Saturday or Sunday when we were feeling relaxed and (even if we sometimes had to have a hard talk) it became a really nice ritual.
Early on, having a weekly meeting let me take a deep breath and cool my heels about upsets (which let some of them simply evaporate) and forced my husband not to sit on things that were upsetting or irritating for too long. It isn't that we didn't talk about stuff as it came up the rest of the week, but having the meeting let us feel okay about not dwelling, especially if we didn't really have the time to sort things out right then.
These days, our talks are much more casual and we've been known to accidentally skip a week here and there when things are too frantic, but stuff still comes up. Also, the talks have become a nice opportunity to appreciate one another or offer support - it isn't always about a problem, it's a chance to do a quick tune-up to keep our relationship in good order.
What do you think? Would you try this? How have you addressed "relationship maintenance" in your life? Leave a comment and let me know!
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Joanna Goddard who writes A Cup Of Jo. Over time, I've picked up more than one great recommendation from Ms. Goddard. Most notably, two great sunscreens - one from Josie Maran (which we use on ourselves and the kiddo) and one that's somewhat less pricey from Say Yes To Cucumbers which has been great for the kiddo and which comes in stick form (super convenient for getting it on his face but not in his eyes).
So, I thought today I'd share with you my five favorite cosmetic products:
1. Tarte BB Cream.
This stuff has changed my life. Worn alone with a little (tinted or not) lip gloss, I'm all of a sudden way more pulled together and "adult" than I was the 45 seconds before I rubbed it all over my face. Bonus: it does nice things for my skin while I'm wearing it!
2. Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick from the Body Shop.
This is what Chapstick wishes it could be: it's thick enough to make an impact when your lips are feeling chapped but it's great as a gloss when your lips are in great shape too, it's never sticky, and it tastes great. I wear it alone all the time, but even days I want to be more made up, I use a lip pencil all over my lips an then this on top.
3. Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Tone Correcting Eye Cream
A couple of years ago, Consumer Reports did a study of a bunch of anti-aging creams and found that Oil of Olay's products were the only ones that really lived up to their claims. Also, putting this on immediately makes me look brighter and more awake.
4. Frederick Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream.
My hair used to be stick straight and, since I've had my son some of it has turned wavy. So, I can't vouch for this on super curly hair but it's pretty amazing on everything short of ringletts. Picture this: you fix your hair. It looks good. You rub a pea sized dollop in your hands and then work it through your hair and - BAM! - now you look like some professional hair person did your hair. I bullied my friend Sarah into trying it just the other day and she was instantly won over - it could have been a commercial.
5. Clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System
Okay. I don't have the Mia. I have an old version that you can't get anymore but if I were buying one today, it'd be the Mia. I also have a Clarisonic toothbrush and I feel like the company's products are excellent in general. The "skin cleansing system" does a great job of gently but thoroughly cleaning my face and helping keep my skin nice - a lot nicer than before I had the Clarisonic.
As you can probably tell, I'm not so much a "makeup" person as a "try to keep my hair and skin looking nice without too much makeup" person. But I think what's great about that is that, when you (or I) want to add makeup on top, it's even easier and prettier.
Leave a comment with your favorite product. Or try one of mine and let me know how you like it!
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Joanna Goddard who writes A Cup Of Jo.
Ms. Goddard is a delightful blogger and I always look forward to seeing her posts come up in my reader. What are the things that I love about A Cup Of Jo? I'm glad you asked.
- The writing style. Ms. Goddard writes in a way that, to me, feels honest and open and very specifically personal to her and her experience. The result is her repeated ability to touch on not-so-easy topics in a way that's meaningful and graceful.
- The kiddo posts - from advice to recommendations to super-cute stories about her son* - her blogs about parenting are always great. (I love this one.)
- The recommendations - Recipes! Gear! Gift Guides! Outings! Shoes, Shoes and more Shoes! If she's recommending it, chances are pretty good I'm putting it on some Pinterest board for later.
- The Friday link-a-paloozas! These are like blog-candy: every Friday, Ms. Goddard posts a bunch of links to all kinds of awesome and interesting stuff around the web. Sometimes I save this post in my feed 'till I really have time to explore all the links - it's such a treat!
This Friday I'm going to try to post my own super-link-fest here. If you have a favorite internet thing, post it in the comments! Maybe it'll make the list.
*Ms. Goddard recently gave birth to a baby boy! Congratulations to her and her whole family!!
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Maggie Mason who writes MightyGirl. A major through-line of Maggie Mason's internet presence is the idea of a Life List. She made her own . . . I'm not sure when, but years ago. Then she started to spread her idea. She created Mighty Summit and then Camp Mighty - small and larger scale retreats, both designed to help people fulfill their Life Lists. Most recently she founded Go Mighty - a whole company devoted to using Life Lists to help people better themselves and their worlds/communities.
All along, I've been like "Life List. That's cool. Not my thing." As an actor in NYC, I've generally felt that my career goals - and the interim steps to achieve them - were my life list. And, when it comes down to it, I don't have 100, I have one: to be a working, NYC-based actor who fully supports herself as an artist. That would be huge.
Still, this week is all about Ms. Mason so I've been gearing up to take my own stab at a Life List. I went back and read hers, I've poked around Go Mighty a bit more than I had before and a funny thing has been happening: as I've been reading and thinking this time around, the whole Life List thing feels a lot less "not my thing" than it did before. Maybe it's having a kid and not having the freedom to do whatever whenever anymore that's all of a sudden bringing me around to the idea? Or just the general (and generally different) perspective I have now versus the one I had then.
Life Lists and I still aren't running towards each other across a field with open arms but I'm feeling much more ready to take a stab. Here goes:
1. Return to dine at Chez Marcel. 2. Sleep in a fancy grown-up tree-house. 3. Visit Greece to see the birthplace of modern drama. 4. Make awesome Halloween costumes for my kiddo every year 'till he's too old. 5. Become a better sewer so that I can make (simple) pieces of clothing. 6. Finish my play; have a reading. 7. Take a bike vacation with the kiddo. 8. Take my mom on vacation for Mother's Day in 2014 (Bermuda?!). 9. Produce the web series. 10. Visit New Orleans and eat all of the things. 11. Attend a clam bake on the beach. 12. Have an oyster party where I get a bunch of oysters and shuck them and then we eat them with delicious cocktails. 13. Become an Intermediate Ukulele player. 14. Own an ice cream maker and make my own. 15. Perform the role of "Dotty" in Stoppard's Jumpers 16. Visit India 17. Make delicious Floating Island. 18. Go curling (ideally in Canada). 19. Get serious about Badminton. 20. Have a professional encounter with Jon Stewart. 21. Visit the Sol Lewitt walls at MassMOCA 22. Go back to Hawaii and become a solid "beginner" surfer. 23. Have a spritz in Venice. 24. Take a vacation with my husband and son AND a bunch of other friends. 25. Smile for a photo without feeling badly about my teeth.
Phew. That was hard. But also fun. Take a stab at making your own Life List and link to it in the comments so we can all see!
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Maggie Mason who writes MightyGirl. Here's a pro-tip from me to you: don't vacuum your computer with the regular vacuum, even if you're using the fuzzy attachment on the end of the hose attachment thing.
Here's another pro-tip: When you need to fish something important out of a vacuum bag (a number 3 computer key, perhaps) use disposable wooden chopsticks. They prevent your dunking your hands in dirt and yuck and you can just throw them out after.
So why was I vacuuming my computer? Because the corner of my home - behind the sofa in the living room - that counts as my "office" has been having a bug problem. Teeny tiny little grey bugs. I first noticed them because I'd be sitting there working at my computer and feel a tickle - "what's this little bug on my hand? Oh, look, more on the computer." I'd squish them and move on. But earlier this week it became clear that the bug situation was escalating so today, I found myself standing in Bug Corner, as it is now known, trying to suck up all the little jerks.
And during all of this - indeed, all week - I've been thinking about Maggie Mason. How could I honor and appreciate her here? And, truly, her writing has made me such a better blogger than I would otherwise be (which is not to say there isn't still some room to grow).
Suddenly I remembered that Maggie Mason once had a bug problem! And she had great advice about how to clean a computer (much more specific than mine above). That made me remember her homemade salad bar (so clever!) and snack dinner (Number 2 in this post but read the rest of it too; I think about number 5 a lot).
As I thought back on so many great posts, I think what makes them all so great is that Ms. Mason shows a lot more than she tells. When she writes about her bug freak-out, she doesn't explain that she was freaked out and analyze the many ways and reasons that's the case, she just freaks out in writing and we get it. Of course that's a generalization and there are times that some explanation is called for (and even then, I think she has a nicely light touch). Still, I think this is why it's been so hard to find ways to blog "in homage" to her - she's just a good writer writing about her life. If I can manage to be a good writer writing about my life, it won't look like an homage to anyone (I don't think), but we can all know that Maggie Mason had a hand in the matter.
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Maggie Mason who writes MightyGirl. Blogging in homage to Maggie Mason is daunting. So often she's blogging about all of the dynamic and exciting things she's been doing. She's creating cocktails. She's traveling places and taking photos not just of where she is, but of the genius items she packed for maximum fashion and minimum baggage.
As I was trying to think of what I could share with you that would at least be in the vein of MightyGirl, I remembered a super-fun adventure I had with my friend Rob not so long ago.
Via Tasting Table (if you don't know about it, check it out), Rob and I signed up for a class to learn how to make classic cocktails. The class was taught by Simon Ford who was amazing - a charming font of cocktail knowledge both culinary and historic - and the Tasting Table folks provided amazing snacks to keep us from falling over too quickly from all of our . . . ahem . . . studies.
Here I am paying close attention to Simon early on:
Here's Me and Rob about half-way through enjoying some old-fashioneds:
I learned a lot in the class but the thing I've used most, is this recipe for a Classic Rum Daiquiri: 2 oz Rum 1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice 1 oz Simple Syrup (or to taste) Place ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a glass.
Who knew that THAT was a Daiquiri? Not I! It scratches the cocktail itch and comes together in a beautifully breezy way. Try it!
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire. This week, I'm looking at Maggie Mason who writes MightyGirl. I wanted to link to the first post on MightyGirl that I ever read, but I can't find it. This was years ago - before gmail and so certainly before google reader (and its subsequent and tragic demise). It's too bad you can't read it in its original form but here's how I remember it: Ms. Mason was in the park and she saw a little girl playing with a plastic bag (that used to hold some sort of bread, I seem to remember) and the little girl is overheard saying "Bag, I love you." BAM! I was hooked and I've been reading her - and randomly saying "Bag, I love you" as my own personal inside joke - ever since.
As I've thought about how I would introduce and appreciate Ms. Mason (who would probably appreciate many things more than these blog posts) I've begun to wonder if choosing her to point out isn't a bit like saying "Have you heard of this guy VanGough? He's quite a good painter" or "Allow me to bring the cuteness of puppies to your attention."
Blogger neophyte that I am, I charge ahead nonetheless. By contrast, Ms. Mason has literally written a (if not THE) book on blogging (which I own). She also created (and later sold) a suite of other Mighty-branded sites: MightyGoods, MightyHaus, and MightyJunior. I've read along as she created her own life list (more on this later) and then her own camp, conference and company centered on the life list idea. I can't even . . . there's so much more. Please just read her very impressive bio here.
The bottom line is, I've been reading Ms. Mason longer than I've been reading any other blogger and it has been exciting and impressive to watch as her accomplishments have racked up over the years. Her content is great, her writing is really fun and she sets the bar really high for what it is to be good at this blogging thing.
Yesterday we went to Ikea. It was, if you'd like to know, a very successful visit. In addition to getting the two very specific things we went to buy, on our way out we also picked up a bunch of fun paper napkins to use instead of boring white ones.
See? Fun, right?!
The napkins live in a part of the store called the "marketplace" along with drinking glasses, step stools, a bunch of great storage options, plants, vases, and on and on. Basically, it seems like "marketplace" is stuff you can just pick up off the shelf and take home - no visit to the warehouse or assembly required.
So I was thinking: would 't it it be great if Ikea opened little shops that are just Ikea Marketplace shops? They wouldn't have to be huge buildings so they could be right IN cities and towns (instead of on the outskirts) and people could just drop in (instead of planning a big trip). Ikea meets Muji.
Yes? Yes. Ikea, lets do this!
Here's what it is: it's little tiny thin stickers that you stick on the nose-piece of your glasses (or sunglasses) so that they don't slide down your face when you get sweaty. I'm imagining that they're clear plastic with a little bit of texture against the nose. I'm thinking of the rubbery material they put at the top of strapless garments for ladies to encourage them not to slide but rather to stick there in place - there's no adhesive on the skin, but the rubbery property of the material helps everything stick and stay in place.
Let me know when I can buy that!
This month I'm appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire and I'm beginning with Gretchen Rubin who writes The Happiness Project blog (among many other things). Although I've never met her, I feel safe saying that a love of books and reading is something that Gretchen Rubin and I have very much in common. In addition to posting her personal book club picks once a month, Ms. Rubin is constantly referencing books she's read in other posts and I often take note. At the same time, with the exception of children's literature, my sense is that Ms. Rubin and I gravitate towards very different kinds of books. She seems to read a lot of history and non-fiction (with a strong dollop of happiness-related self-help, as you might imagine). I mostly read fiction - leaning heavily towards more modern writing - with a sprinkle of non-fiction which tends to be on the lighter side of what non-fiction can be.
Each month Ms. Rubin lists one book about happiness, one great children's book and one eccentric pick. Here, in my own single-serving (or, perhaps, annual) spin, I list: three works of modern fiction that you're less likely to have read (which is to say, most people I talk to haven't read these books); three more classic (or well-known) books that I love and have enjoyed returning to over time; three children's books; and three wild-card works of non-fiction:
Modern Fiction:
"Classics":
Children's Literature:
Non-Fiction:
That's twelve books! One a month for a year, if you like. Leave a comment and let me know if you've read any of these books and what you think, or leave your own recommendation.
At home on the UWS, the kiddo sound asleep in his room, my husband and I went up on our roof (armed with our baby monitor) to try to see some fireworks. No such luck (we fell back to plan B: watching on TV) but the sound of the fireworks - that super-specific distant thud - reminded me, like it does every year, to really try to imagine what it was like to be an American colonist fighting the Revolutionary War. It's really hard to imagine which makes me grateful for those individuals who have gone to battle for America over the years, and sorry that there are so many Americans serving in the military who are in harm's way. War is ugly, politics are complicated, and patriotism is often problematic; nevertheless, I am lucky and proud to be an American.
This month I’m appreciating a handful of bloggers I love and admire and I’m beginning with Gretchen Rubin who writes The Happiness Project blog (among many other things). In early June, Gretchen Rubin wrote a post asking "Who Are Your Patron Saints?"
This is exactly the sort of post for which I value Ms. Rubin's blog: I was completely surprised and stumped by her question. Not only had I never asked this question of myself, I had trouble just wrapping my brain around this, sort of, new interpretation of a "patron saint." This isn't the sort of frame/lens I'd normally use to view the world and her asking the question provided me the opportunity to stretch myself to try to understand a really different sort of thinking from my own. It also gave me the gift of discovering that I might have some Patron Saints of my own.
I read this post and I kept it as "unread" 'till Google Reader's recent retirement (boo!) because I really did want to share this idea with you hear and I really did want to try to answer the question for myself. So, here goes.
My patron saints are:
Tina Fey - Sure, every "quirky" actress likes to fancy herself the next Tina Fey. Still, as a smart actress who writes more and more myself, Ms. Fey's career truly is inspirational not to mention ground-breaking and door-opening for the rest of us. (Props must also be given to Junior Patron Saint Ms. Mindy Kaling.)
Meryl Streep - Fellow Vassar grad and consummate actress. Bam!
Mark Helprin - Although I have so much more of his work yet to read, his books Freddy and Fredericka and The Winter's Tale have blown me away with their scope, humor, inventiveness and their excellent writing. Images from both of these books come back to me often.
They Might Be Giants - Early in my life (it might have been seventh grade) I appreciated their use of vocabulary and correct grammar. I still appreciate those things and every time I listen to them, they tickle me. I also admire the longevity of their careers as artists.
Ms. Rubin lists six but I've only got those four so far. I'll keep thinking. (I feel certain there's someone less contemporary who should be in the mix . . . )
In the meantime, visit The Happiness Project and leave a comment below about who's your Patron Saint of Blogging?
