Sandy (You're NOT a Fine Girl.)

I'm back and with power! I've actually had my power back since early this morning but I've been pretty glued to my tv since I haven't actually seen footage that Sandy has brought upon in this area. God is it devastating. And that is an understatement.

I got lucky. My neighborhood is fine. I was not in an evacuation zone. The most damage I've seen in the area are downed trees. My family is fine. Nobody is hurt. Nobody has suffered any serious damage to their homes. The most that any of us have suffered, as far as I know, is a loss of power. And for that I am grateful.

With that said, here are some pictures from the evening of the storm:

Hours after posting on the blog...all of downtown NY and Jersey City went black.
Commence romantic setting for one.

Once the winds died down, and all seemed "safe", I went downstairs and poked my head out.
Literally, POKED MY HEAD OUT.
Some fools decided to actually walk around!! Um hello, branches can still fall from nowhere.
Anyway, darkness. Complete and utter darkness.

And thus began 24+ hours of what I called mandatory camping. Yes, these are definitely first world problems. And I most definitely should not have been/be complaining about the loss of power. Was it inconvenient? Yes. Was it the end of the world? No. Again, floods stopped a few blocks before me. My apartment remained intact. And truly, I am so thankful nothing else happened. 

As the hours continue to go by and more stories emerge, please remember to be thankful for what you have. It truly is the little things in life that make a difference.

So Far, So Good.

Rather than my usual Monday posting of what I did over the weekend (which involved being sick, eating a lot, and preparing for Sandy), I shall show you what I have been doing for the last 10+ hours:

(Crappy picture but it is what it is.)

I'm still going strong - power is up, windows intact, etc. I could be more productive in the apartment since I have an unexpected long weekend (yup, office is closed tomorrow too) but I prefer endlessly checking all social media for updates and watching the news non-stop.

Stay safe!

Friday Funny 10.26

Not only is it funny, but it's true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rub-a-dub-dub.

The reason I am not blogging. I am no energy and instead am inhaling this. Weird factoid about me: i LOVE this stuff. I don't rub it on my chest like I'm supposed to but rather I just sniff away at it. And when I get really stuffy and congested, I dab some on my nose. Good times.

If I Were...

...a rich girl (na na na na na na na), I would travel the world. Or at least take a 2 week reprieve from this thing I call work. I am at a loss for patience today and feel like aggravation and stress will stay with me at least through the end of the week before I get a few days of relief. Where would I go if money and time were no object?

Inspiration [to leave!]: this desk I shall not photograph.

Other places I WOULD NOT hate:

A cruise!! You're forced to relax. No cell, no internet. A floating vacation.

Hawaii.
Never been. I imagine never ending beautiful scenery and endless warm weather.

Italy.
Because what's not to love? History. Architecture. Food!

PS - Please note the first two pictures were posted on the Travelzoo site. While daydreaming of vacationing, deals for those trips caught my eye.

Just a Little Bit.

Another wonderful fall weekend, another fun filled weekend. Here is a just a little bit of what I was up to:

Saturday

Belated brunch at Red Rooster (damn to the sneaky beets, yay for spotting Marcus Samuelsson himself).
Hellooooo 30 Rock!
The requisite stop when on 5th Avenue..St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Woorijip!!

 Sunday

Fall foliage makes it's appearance en route to more leaf peeping.
High Point Monument. (I'm lucky the wind didn't knock me over while trying to take this!)
More fall foliage.
Up high in the sky.

PS - The title of this post makes me think of Gina G's Ooh Ahh...Just a Little Bit. (Are you singing it now?!)
PPS - If read this blog regularly, you'll know I get to scratch another thing off my list. Can't wait to blog about it!

Friday Funny 10.19

This isn't even remotely funny. Maybe it's funny cuz I would be anything but calm.

Love is Everywhere.

I'm a sucker for all thing hearts. I can spot leaves shaped like a heart. Clouds. Bubbles. Whatever, you get the picture. One may find it endearing, others may find it annoying. To those of you who find it annoying, I say you need more love in your life :)

Imagine my delight this morning when I saw this chalk art of hearts (rhymes!) in front of the entrance to Starbucks!

That put a smile on my face. And then walking back to the train, I saw that someone wrote out "love" on top of the stairs but because I was extremely late, I didn't stop to take a picture. I was glad it was still there when I came home. Clearly, someone was trying to spread the love.

And while we're on the subject of love, and this is the blog of randomness, let me tell you some of the things I've been in love with lately.

1 - I love the camera on my iPhone. I love that it has helped me keep some discipline in maintaining this blog. I also love the quality of pictures it allows me to take.

2 - I love Instagram. I profess myself in Insta-whore. I will stop and snap pictures anywhere it seems. I love that my iPhone and Instagram have brought out the creative in me.

3 - Not iPhone related...though it's getting chillier sooner than I would want, I do love putting on sweatpants and a fleece top. It's my fall and winter uniform when I'm not in work. I love the feeling of coziness against my skin. (That sounded weird.)

4 - Back to iPhone related love...I love that I don't have to carry my Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks gift cards. EVER. Why? Because it's loaded onto my phone!! It so fascinates me how I can pay my iced coffee addiction over my phone. Lost the card? No problem. Left it at home? No big deal. I never leave the apartment without my phone therefore my handy dandy apps are always with me.

5 - You know what else I don't have to worry about forgetting or losing? My library card!! Today, when I stepped out for lunch, I left my keys at my desk. I didn't fret too much. I know they can just look it up with my ID. But turns out better yet, that as long as you take your handy dandy (yes, I like saying that) phone with you, you can use the NYPL app to take out the books. Your library card is saved in the app so you just have to show them the barcode. Genius!! God, how I love the library.

6 - And speaking of my love for the library, I love the loot I was able to check out today.

I love taking out magazines from the library.
Since I only subscribe to one magazine now, there is less clutter of old and current copies of other magazines.

Another day, another sunset.

The title says it all...

If I Were...

...a bag, I would love to be one of these. Or better yet, can I own all of these?

Of course, I rarely every pay retail price or even close to retail-price (I like myself a fantastic deal), so unless I hit the lottery or simply find this on super clearance, I will just have to sit here and lust.

Inspiration: Rebecca Minkoff Nikki bag (purchased in excellent used condition at Buffalo Exchange for $80 with the dustbag still included!!)

Other [bag] loves:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Embo Lizzie Hobo

Loeffler Randall Rider Bag

Michael Kors Foldover Clutch in Haircalf

For more of my bag lusts, feel free to follow my    board "bag it".

A Productive Weekend.

Because I don't think I'll ever be this productive again in a weekend, let me highlight some of the things I was able to accomplish on my to-do list...drop off two pairs of pants at tailor, make chili, do two loads of laundry, straighten up my kitchen table, wash dishes a thousand times, grocery shop, catch up on Modern Family, drop two bags off at Sal's, rent a car, shop, go to a family party, bake [and fail] brownie pretzels, get rid of my granny cart after 4 years of it sitting in my abode, and all this with no nap either day!!!

On my way to the tailor on Saturday morning, I decided to walk down one of the prettier blocks in the 'hood.

My tablescape and lovely gourds I finally unpacked from last week's farm outing.

The edible centerpiece of the dessert table at yesterday's family party.

Friday Funny 10.12

Thank you Glamour magazine reader for submitting this funny for me to read.

Dirty Jerz.

Four years later, I guess you can officially consider me a Jersey resident since this arrived in the mail...

Regular Programming.

I did not blog yesterday not because I was lazy, but because of some seriously annoying travel mishaps that looked something like this:

Notice the time stamp on the upper right. I happened to be at the train station at 4:30am so you can imagine I was not happy. 

 In fact, I looked like this at about 5am when I learned that my 4:48 train was going nowhere fast....

...
Yup, that's me trying to not freak out about the delay. Little did I know that I was in for an extremely long travel day. Via train!! Lord.

Anyway, today I am attempting to throw myself back on schedule. You know, work, blog, shop. Or some variation of that. Which also includes posting an everyday picture. He's my snap en route to shopping:

Cheers to the Freakin' Weekend.

It's still the weekend!! Who doesn't love a Monday holiday?

Pumpkin patches + wineries = Super Saturday!

Sunday is Stuff Your Face Day. I love me some 2 Amy's.

Monday's Americanized lechon (for you non-Filipinos that's pork belly).

Friday Funny 10.05

Very clever.

Just Like Us!

I may be 31, but I definitely eat like a 5 year old. Hence, today's breakfast.

But better yet, in case you don't already follow my Instagram, guess who's just like us!! This chick...

Well, she would be more like us if I snapped a picture of her checking out and paying for her goods (I don't know what they were 'cuz I was busy furiously texting my friend and acting nonchalant) at Whole Foods. Haha, but I didn't because that would have seriously been awkward for both of us. In any case, my best celeb siting to date. I saw and was really close to Judah Frielander too on Saturday but my phone was on the verge of dying so I let that opportunity pass. It's not often I'm close enough to a celeb for a good amount of time and she's just as pretty in-person that I had to it. So, sorry Jessica for seeming stalker-ish. I just wanted to get a picture of you...at least I waited until we got back outside and took it from a distance while you mugged with another [more bold] fan.

If I Were...

...a sweater, I'd be any of these! I'm searching for the perfect chunky and comfy black sweater for the season but naturally, I can't find anything I like. In the meantime, let's daydream.

Inspiration: From Pinterest. (Where on earth can I find this sweater?!)

Other [sweater] loves:

All images can be found on my Pinterest boards.

Empire State of Mind.

What did I do this weekend?  Play in Queens and Brooklyn. Gotta love all that the city has to offer!

Maker Faire NY. So much too see, so little time.

Damn you 7 train for making my Saturday travel a pain in the ass.

The house that HOV built ;)

Speaks for itself.