best dressed
So, I know I am a bit behind on writing about the Oscars.... I actually watched a good amount of the Academy Awards this year and I really thought all of the actresses looked super-great, so I had planned on doing a fairly extensive blog post about my faves. Then, my computer totally died. Magically, Travis was able to revive it and I actually got some work done today! Yay! I was going to forget about my red carpet post all together, but I noticed that many of my picks for best dressed have been landing on the worst dressed lists across the web... so I wanted to show my support! ha!
My favorite dresses from the Academy Awards (that I saw):
I want reiterate that I really thought everyone looked superb - they are movie stars, after all - but I especially loved these dresses. I am drawn to things that are unique... classic is always beautiful, but a little boring.
- The first dress is Givenchy worn by Zoe Saldana. I just think it is awesome. She looks so beautiful in purple and I love that it has sparkle and a lot of flair. This was my very favorite dress!
- The second is Sarah Jessica Parker, of course, in Chanel. Lots of people did not like this dress, but I thought it was unique and pretty. I like that SJP takes risks. Now, her hair, on the other hand, I did not love...
- The third is an Elie Saab dress worn by Rachel McAdams. I think it is so fun and young, but still really elegant. It looks like a dress you would wear to have a good time at the event - not be the very fanciest. It is unpretentious glamour. (Is that an oxymoron?)
What were your favorites of the night? Any red carpet looks you really disliked?
2010 Whitney Biennial
I met my friend, Suzanne, at the Whitney Museum on Saturday to see the 2010 Biennial. The Biennial, for me, has been a somewhat mythic art event ever since I learned about it as an art student in undergrad. It was always touted as a crazy, contemporary, magical exhibition where artists' careers were made - If you can get into the Biennial, you are golden. Collectors will be knocking down your door. That is the myth, anyway...
There was no way I was going to miss viewing this year's show in person! I considered this first visit with Suzanne as a preliminary scouting mission. I wanted to browse the entire show (consisting of 55 artist - less than in the past) and get a general feel for my likes and dislikes without stressing over studying every single detail. My plan was to get an overall impression. I was excited to learn that for the first time ever there were more women than men represented in the Biennial. As I expected, there was a lot of video, installation, and performance pieces, but also plenty of paintings, photography, and textiles. There was only a handful of sculpture.
I may be old fashioned, but I liked the paintings the best. My very favorite (at least after this first viewing) were three pale oil paintings by Julia Fish of the floor, entitled "Thresholds." (The two paintings above are hers, but not the exact ones in the show.) They are nearly abstract paintings, showing transitional spaces between two types of flooring. They reminded me of Agnes Martin - one of my favorite painters. I am drawn to washed out palettes. I think they calm me. I also loved the small, simple landscape paintings of Maureen Gallace which were displayed in the same room with Fish.
I was excited the see Ellen Gallagher in the show. Gallagher's "DeLuxe" was one of my favorite contemporary pieces when I worked at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Oregon, but I must admit that I did not understand the collaborative installation she created with Edgar Cleijne for the biennial... Something about space inside a big plywood box with a hologram of JFK's head in the middle... I may need to revisit that one.
I also enjoyed the full room of flower paintings by Charles Ray. I had kinda thought he was a sculptor - he has been in the biennial before with sculpture - but the full room of flowers was pleasing. There were more than a dozen of them and I think they may have been drawn with magic marker...
Other favorites included the beautiful, wall-size tapestry by Pae White and the watercolor/drawings by Storm Tharp. I think my favorites represent the most tame pieces in the show. There was plenty of much more controversial, heart-wrenching, and strange items... and maybe I will grow to love them in time. Each and every piece was definitely thought-provoking! I'll let you know if my favorites change after a second, more in-depth viewing.
Cop Out
I don't understand why Rachel didn't LOVE cop out. And I know Adam and Aaron will love it with all the poop jokes. Just saying.
Happy Birthday Father!
This is part of my "Birthday Post" series, an idea that I have stolen from my brilliant sister. This piece of work in particular is supposed to pay homage to one of my earlier works, entitled Happy Birthday Sister! Note the subtle similarities.
For all you philistines out there, this is a collection of the world's most famous authors. It took everything inside of me not to add Dan Brown or Danielle Steel.
And seriously, I really do wish you were here, Dad. Then maybe it'd be you waking up to a cold and wet dog's nose poking you in the eye.
shop windows and airmail
When we ventured out to Soho on Saturday, one of my intended stops was the Kate Spade flagship store on Broome St. I had heard about a cool neon tape art installation by Rebecca Ward and wanted to check it out in person. Rebecca Ward is an installation artist who creates colorful, site-specific environments using mostly tape. (btw: I loved the installation in the store, but it wasn't as extensive as I had anticipated.) The Kate Spade brand sometimes feels a little too ladylike for my current style, but I have always loved its playful use of color and pretty designs. For a long time, Kate Spade was my very favorite designer, mostly because she is from Kansas City, like me, but also because her designs were always so simple, but unique. It is exciting to see the brand supporting such a hip, young artist in such a public way! In addition to the cool installation, I also loved all of the corresponding displays throughout the store - so beautiful!
After the stop at Kate Spade, Travis and I continued our stroll over the the Madewell store. (my favorite!) I was totally caught off-guard by the awesome airmail-themed windows and displays there.
Vintage airmail envelopes and mail packages were everywhere! I think that they were all reproductions - not actual old letters - but I was still tempted to swipe one to take home... I love anything mail related because it reminds me of Swap-bot. Don't worry, I didn't end up stealing any of the envelopes, but I couldn't resist taking a few photos of the displays. Three cheers for snail mail!
And in a serendipitous turn of events, Gilt Groupe was having a sale on Kate Spade accessories on Monday! With my "free shipping" coupon, I scooped up this airmail-themed cosmetics case at a nearly-free price. I am going to use it to carry my Swap-bot arsenal to crafty events. Who knew that fashion and the postal mail went together so well... Swap-bot is so stylish!
Popular Culture
The other day I rented the movie Max Payne from Redbox (lay off me, everything else was checked out) and I brought it to my parents' house to watch with my mother (I swear I have a girlfriend). The movie was pretty ho-hum but about halfway through, we were introduced to an actor playing the detective trying to hunt down our hero (For a crime he didn't commit!). My mom kind of nonchalantly declared, "Hey, that's Ludacris." I quickly scolded my mom for mixing up this African American actor with an African American rapper. No sooner than I finished my lecturing, my brother had finished looking up the actor on IMDB and sure enough, it was Ludacris.
It would be one thing if this was an isolated incident, but the other day I walked into the house and there she was, listening to a new hit by "Flo Rida" that she had downloaded while video chatting with my sister and playing the latest Facebook "app" (Fishville Aquarium Wars... or something like that).
I knew med school was turning me into a hermit but I never thought I'd see the day when my own mother knew more about popular culture than me. Rap wasn't even invented until she was 30. I hate to say it, but my mom is hip.
view from a NYC window
Another snow storm hit New York yesterday and it has been snowing non-stop for the last 24 hours, at least. It is really beautiful... especially since I get to stay inside and watch it through my window!
nyc cupcake review: Crumbs Bake Shop
New York City is back on my good side! On Sunday, Travis and I went for a late (really late, like 4 pm) brunch at Penelope Cafe in Murray Hill. (It was very delicious, by the way. I highly recommend it.) Afterward, I thought I should do my blogger duty and pick up some more cupcakes to objectively review for my loyal "NYC Cupcake Review" followers. ha!
Travis and I stopped by the small Crumbs Bake Shop near Union Square and picked up a chocolate coconut and a "Half-baked" cupcake to review. Crumbs is a relatively new bakery that was started in 2003 by a former attorney and now has over a dozen locations, both in New York and LA.
This was not my first taste of Crumbs cupcakes. Travis and I have picked them up at least twice in the past and I also always manage to have one at the museum cafe when I visit the Met. I don't remember all of the flavors I have tried, but I know that caramel apple, blackout, brownie, vanilla coconut, and carrot are on the list. In the past, I claimed that Crumbs is my favorite cupcake shop in NY, and this review definitely reinforces that!
Crumbs cupcakes are large - about the size of a large muffin - and they come with tons of frosting and fun toppings. The bakery case reminds me of a gelato shop because of all the goodies you find stuck in the mounded frosting. The flavor selection is amazing and overwhelming, and they always have a "cupcake of the month" that they are featuring. It is hard for me to choose anything other than the chocolate flavors, but every time that I do I am pleasantly surprised. Of course, for this review I went with chocolate!
Both of the flavors we chose were perfectly moist, with light, sweet icing. The chocolate coconut cupcake was simple with chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, and coconut sprinkled on top. The "Half-Baked" flavor consisted of chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream filling (yum!), chocolate and cookie dough flavored frostings, and brownie and cookie pieces crumbled on top. So decadent and so delicious!
I tried to avoid giving Crumbs a perfect score, but couldn't. Everything about the cupcakes was perfect, from the store presentation and the flavor selection to the texture and taste of the cakes. Even the take-out containers are terrific, with separate holders for each cake to keep them from toppling over. The only downside that some people may find is the large size and corresponding price. Each cupcake is $4.50, but they are definitely worth it and are easily large enough for two people to share. Travis and I ate our two cupcakes for dinner and we had a hard time finishing them between the two of us. (Luckily, Travis stepped up and ate the last bits, and he wanted me to add that he thinks these cupcakes are "fantastic.")
I cannot recommend Crumbs cupcakes highly enough! They are the best cupcakes I have had so far in New York. Yum, yum, yum!
crusher burrito!
I have another installment of the NYC Cupcake Review in the works, but today I just needed a smile... so here is a cute photo of Crusher wrapped up as a burrito. Enjoy!
(I recently read a cool eBook about how to improve your blogging skills, and writing about how cute your pets are is definitely a no-no... oh, well. My blog may have to remain unimproved.)
The Green Fairy
Well, I can mark another task off of my list of things to get done in my life. I finally partook of the absinthe ritual.
Saturday night Mom and I were supposed to meet some of her coworkers for dinner at Yia Yia's, and we arrived early so we could sit at the bar and observe the absinthe ritual. Absinthe is a licorice-tasting spirit that is a translucent green color. It's sometimes called the Green Fairy. The ritual involves dripping ice water on a sugar cube so that it melts into the absinthe in the glass below. Sometimes, fire is involved.
That photo shows the process. That special carafe in the middle holds the ice water, and it is designed specifically for the ritual. The absinthe goes in the glass. Then a special slotted spoon is rested on the rim of the glass and the sugar cube sits on this. If you are observing the fire ritual, which we did, some absinthe is dripped on the sugar and then it is set aflame. Can you see the blue flame in this photo?
Then the water is dripped over the burning cubes, putting out the flame and slowly dissolving the sugar. By the time the cubes are all gone, the green absinthe has turned pearly white. Then you partake.
I wouldn't do it again. I've never liked the taste of licorice, and this stuff burned the back of my throat. (It turns out my drink was mixed much more strongly than Mom's.) And it wasn't cheap.
More than a month!
It's been more than a month since I've seen one of these in the wild.
Just sayin'.
happy, but sad
Living in New York City is difficult. Especially for a midwest girl who spent the previous four years in the laid-back, hippie town of Eugene. I have been trying to stay positive about the move (almost a year later!) and have tried to be the strong, confident, optimistic woman that I would like to be. Ha! Some days it works, some days it doesn't.
On Monday, I had a meeting in Manhattan and then Travis and I planned to eat dinner at one of the many confusing, but oh-so-popular Momofuku restaurants. I was so cheerful and energetic when I started out! I took the 40 minute subway ride, ran some errands, went to my meeting, did some shopping, then hung out at Barnes & Noble waiting for Travis. Barnes & Noble is cool because they let you use their bathroom even without a purchase (very rare in NY), but they are uncool because I got scolded for sitting on the floor reading a book. There are no comfy chairs in this NY Barnes & Noble, only a handful of folding chairs that were already full with other tired city goers, and apparently, you aren't allowed to sit on the floor. So... basically, by the time Travis got to me I was exhausted and dehydrated, and promises of Momofuku pork buns wasn't enough to get me pumped up. Plus, we had to walk lots of blocks to the Noodle Bar (one of the Momofuku restaurants), which was too crowded. Then, we walked lots more blocks to the Momofuku Ssam Bar and waited for a seat at the super-crowded, loud bar. I was so tired and so hungry. Poor Travis. BUT, here is the good news: New York City always seems to make up for its inherent hassle and hardship. Our pork buns and barbecue sandwich arrived and they were just about the best food I have ever tasted! Too expensive, too trendy, too difficult to get, but still worth it. Plus, then we went next door to the bakery (the Milk Bar) and got two slices of amazing cake and their signature Cereal Milk (above you see the left-overs in our fridge). Travis even splurged on a taxi ride home! Ahhhh.
What else have I been up to?
- Watched The Hangover last weekend and I loved, loved, loved it! I was totally caught off guard by how much I loved it. It is, like, my new favorite movie, and I don't even like Las Vegas!
- Travis and I have also been making our way through Entourage, and again, I was surprised by how much I like it. I thought it was all about womanizing and partying (and it is), but it is way sweeter than I expected.
- Oh. This isn't great, but I have abandoned the thing-a-day project. My daily creative submissions just weren't very good and I didn't need another thing to feel stressed over. I am a thing-a-day failure.
- This guy is my favorite thing about the Olympics.
- I had another article (a book review of Weekend Sewing) published on CraftCritique.com this week.
- I have been doing these Dance and Be Fit workouts on FitTV and I am really enjoying them. The instructor, Kimberly Miguel Mullen, is really cute and fun. They make me want to take some "real" dance classes...
What have you been doing to keep sane during this long, cold February? I need suggestions!
the promised birthday report
My 29th birthday was last Wednesday and it was a perfect day. It had snowed overnight which meant Travis got to work from home. We started the day with muffins from my favorite bakery, and I spent the day crafting and avoiding email. In the evening, we headed out into the two feet of snow and sleet to get dinner at our favorite, local restaurant, Stone Park Cafe. We went all out with an appetizer, entrees, dessert, and coffee. It was all delicious, and because of the snow, the restaurant was almost empty and very quiet. We sat by the window and watched the snow fall. It was a perfect evening, and it didn't even end there! I came home and opened too many fabulous presents and cards from my family. Thank you so much to everyone, especially Travis, for making my birthday so special. I know that I am spoiled.
Really, how much trouble could they get into? ~ Part II
The pictures speak for themselves:
Eloquently:
thing-a-day 11
I am still working on a big birthday wrap-up post, I promise. I know all of you want to see photos of me opening presents, but for now you will have to settle for my 11th creative thing-a-day. My parents sent me a very cool sketching pencil/pen and I was eager to try it out. Now, I haven't drawn without a computer for quite a while and I am out of practice, so forgive my quick, simple sketch. The subjects of my still life were two of the fabulous birthday gifts sent to me from Chelsea & Scott. I love them so much and have no idea how Chelsea read my mind and got me the two make-up items I was wishing for. I really liked using the sketching pen. It kept my hand clean and is comfortable to hold... now I just need to do more sketches!
Day 10 thing-a-day
I am working on a huge birthday post (it was a really great day), but I wanted to fit in this thing-a-day post first:
I worked on these two scrapbook pages yesterday, which was my birthday and the 10th day of the thing-a-day challenge. They are for the scrapbook I do with my sister-in-law, Chelsea, and I have been meaning to complete them for a long time. (The Christmas page is for 2008!) I figured I could make some time for fun crafting on my birthday and I am glad I did.
Happy Birthday Sister!
I heard it might be a little cold up there so I thought you could use something to warm you up. Sorry it took me so long to post this, MS Paint was being a B. Happy Birthday!
Clinical Skills
At the beginning of my 4th year I get to take my second licensing exam. This exam, known as Step 2, has two parts. The first part is a knowledge based multiple choice test taken on a computer, similar to Step 1. The second half is a clinical skills exam. For this part, I have to fly to Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, LA, or Philadelphia. There, I will go to some specialized testing center to interview 12 different fake patients and write 12 different progress notes about the encounters. The pass rate for this part of the exam is high and therefore there have always been hyperbolic rumors that this half of Step 2 is really just an English proficiency exam.
To prepare us for this test of our clinical skills, the first three years of med school have been littered with similar encounters our school has developed to mirror the exam. I introduced you to one of these encounters in my previous post. The encounters have ranged from someone presenting to the ER complaining of chest pain all the way to having to fend off a flirtatious patient's advances while conducting an interview (this skill, believe it or not, hasn't been much of a necessary asset lately, seeing as how I'm at the VA right now working with a bunch of old guys).
We receive feedback from these paid actors ($15-25 an hour) and they also videotape each encounter. We're supposed to review the videos and reflect on things we did well and things we did poorly. Unfortunately for me, the way the cameras are positioned I just get a birds eye view of the interview and the only thing I really find myself reflecting on is how much hair I've lost since med school started.
Winter Weather Advisory
No, we are not going down to the woods this weekend!
We may not even go out to get the mail until Sunday.
Nor did we go to Le Fou Frog to try the absinthe ritual.
If Adam comes over this weekend, though, we may have to feed him somehow.