Happy Halloween! (tomorrow)

It's mine and Wendi's 19-year Friendship Anniversary tomorrow! Omg we're getting OLD. Every Halloween I always think of that fateful trick-or-treat outing when I met lil' Wendi in her witch costume, I in my "present". Tomorrow her little one will go out on her first trick-or-treating adventure in life and I hope this holiday holds as much magic and good friends as it has for her mom and I!

Beyond the holiday, I suppose you all have also noticed that it is a fabulous time in of year right now - it's not too cold, not too hot, and there's color everywhere. People are so creative, especially in our neighborhood on Capitol Hill. They really go all out decorating and I'm looking forward to strolling along the brick this Halloween and checking out all the spooky creativity.

I have my own list going of awesome October-themed stuff that I hope to have time for one day:

1. Mummy Dogs, a brilliant idea.




2. The perfect Halloween dinner: try some black striped squid ink ravioli from Eastern Market with a creamy pumpkin sauce.

3. Pumpkin/gourd decorating ideas - these would be cute with tea lights on Thanksgiving also.
4. Spooky silhouettes. Seems simple enough and you don't need a perfect house to make this look cool.


5. Uber theme-y "jack-o-lantern cocktail." {via HWTM}



Any awesome Halloween/Fall ideas you can share?

Spotted: Halloween Guerilla Street Art!

Leaving the Eastern Market metro last night I spotted these candy corn cones in the median. I guess these guys have been making an appearance all over DC lately. {more here}

Fishnets and glitter and lucite, oh my!

photo from Pixilista.

Last night Drew and I braved the rain to be witness to a DC tradition: The Annual High Heel Drag Race. It was a sight to see, people. Totally worth teetering on chainlink and holding onto a tree to get a peek. I think my faves were the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and the Stewardesses (loved their shoes!).

"The DC Drag Queen Race is one of the Washington, DC area’s more unique Halloween events that has taken place annually since 1986, when a couple of drag queens challenged each other to see who could race from JR's Bar to Annie's Paramount Steakhouse, where they would down a shot, and then race back."

Check out more fabulousness here and here.

Pool Culture

GAH! Y'all, I want to LIVE in this photography. Must have pool for fabulous parties. Drinks on the lawn, anyone?
{Slim Aarons photo gallery}

AOTD

"Pride" - By Tait Simpson, from Reykjavik’s gay pride parade. {via SSC}






Great lego compositions by Mike Stimpson, buy here. {via SSC}






Beautiful "Real Colour Circles" by Anu Tuominen. {via Poppytalk}






"I have you right where I wanted you" - made from packing tape on a backlit panel by Mark Khaisman. {via MirrorMirror}






"blown-fabric" by Oki Sato aka nendo. {via SSC} This reminds me of that weird gum/bubble toy stuff they sold in the grocery aisles where you blow through a straw and get this weird bubble. I begged for my mom to let me get that stuff. I'm not even sure why now...she always said it would be too messy and one day I wore her down and she got it for me and guess what? It was really messy. Sorry, mom :)

The Big Apple, Pt II

More pics from our weekend in NY...




NY skyline from Liberty Island.

Lady Liberty herself, and Keene doing his best tourist impression.






More self-portrait hammin' it up.







I tried to get a "lunch on the Met steps a-la Gossip Girl pic, but it just wasn't as picturesque in reality. Also I didn't have colored tights or a headband on.









This 10th Centurty bowl on display at The Met caused a heated art discussion between us. Might've had something to do with the martinis though...






The best cake I've ever seen. In the window display of a bakery that is no doubt going gangbusters. Who wouldn't be drawn into the store after seeing the artistry in this masterpiece?

List & Comment: better with age?

Ok so I'm not there yet, but I'm knockin' on 30's door. I'll be 29 in December, and I think that means I'm officially disqualified from being in the "mid-20's" category. It's got me thinking a lot about the good vs the bad about getting older...

Let's start with the not-so-fun:
1. Gray hair? WTF.
2. Buh bye days when I could be on me feet all day. Hello insoles.
3. I have to pee a lot more often. Like, A LOT. tmi.
4. I'm too old to ignore crowds & noise and still have fun at events.
5. Sleeping + camping. Just don't go together.

And...the good stuff of getting older/wiser:
1. The patience to wait for and make a perfect marshmallow.
2. I like myself about 110% more than a decade ago.
3. My friendships are stronger & better.
4. Experience usually means getting paid better.
5. I don't have to drink cheap beer or wine if I don't want to.

I hope I can be like this rad lady as I get older. She's 60 and she's one of the top five most bankable actresses right now. She seems to get funnier, better and more beautiful as she ages!




Meryl, in all her glory.
What kinds of things do you love/hate about getting older?

The Big, Stormy Apple, Pt I

We only took a cab once, and it was an under $10 ride. The rest of the time we subway'd it, just like the locals, except for the whole, shoe-falling-on-the-tracks incident, which was quickly resolved (with thankfully only a few witnesses). I can't get enough of the arty subway tile down there. Love it!






Kickin' it in Central Park. It was blustery up thur!





Keene in front of the "Belvedere Castle" - which turned out to be pretty cool. We just stumbled on it. Me in front of...Griffyndor?




Ahhh, the deciduousness of "The Ramble." I fell in love with these nobby trees. I'm being kindof sexy with this tree and it's disturbing.





Central Park was very much a delight. Felt like we were in a postcard.

Beer Butt - The Fall Version

So a week ago it was about time for some Beer Butt Chicken again. We bought this lovely specimen at Eastern Market for $5. I'd like to say we had leftovers, but I guess the two of us can polish off a whole chicken - whoops! It was a small guy, though. Anyway - this is the bbq version. I think we brushed it with melted butter/spices, grilled it indirectly for a little over an hour, then brushed bbq sauce on for the last ten minutes. Easy. Yummy. Was it our last grill before winter? I hope not!
{directions on RecipeMogul}

"Woman of Style" - LOVE her.

You guys know I love me some Martha (she never breaks character). She used to be a model back in the day (what didn't she do?) It was fun taking a peek at these photos from her modeling days on the Tory Burch site. {via MirrorMirror}

Whew! Back to Normal

Y'all, we had an awesome time in New York. I'm still recovering! Too busy catching up on work and sleep and laundry to do the full pics post just yet but let me just tell you I'm so glad we went. The weather did not behave but we didn't let it get us down and had a great time anyway. Highlights include: my friend's play, Assembler Dilator, which was thrilling, provoking and thoroughly entertaining, the AMAZING dinner we had at Itzocan Cafe, getting lost in Central Park, and having martinis at The Met.

Here we are, cold but having a silly fun time at The Statue of Liberty. You'd never guess we took this picture ourselves!

Speaking of Leaves...

Guess where we're going this weekend? NEW YORK. Holla!!! So excited. We get to go see a play by my friend (who I've known since I was 6 MONTHS OLD), Shannon. Not to mention we'll check out her Brooklyn 'hood, see the Statue of Liberty, visit The Met (probs) and stroll through Central Park. I can't wait! This is going to be even better than the trip I took last year because we both get to go this time! :)

List & Comment Friday: Things about Fall

Fall is HERE, people. I tried to deny it with my light jacket all week, but I'm freezing and last night we broke down and turned on the heat in the apartment. It's here! What should we do to celebrate? Maybe list some of our favorite things about Fall?
..........
1. Apple Cider
2. The addition of tights doubles my wardrobe
3. Soup
4. Bye bye, Barbeque, hello roast!
5. I will admit to liking the sound of football on in the background
6. Root vegetables
7. Pumpkin beer/lattes/bread/muffins/cake
8. Leaf piles
9. Apples
10. Thanksgiving - PIE and Gravy. Not necessarily together. But maybe.
..........

Omg, I need to go make a crisp now! What are your absolute favorite Fall things this year?

AOTD: Bring on the Failure

This mural is located in the lobby of Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Oregon. It took over 100,000 thumbtacks and 351 hours to create "Fail Harder," a "message that underlines the importance of failure during the creative process." Sing it, typography. {via SwissMiss}

You know what would be cool?

An Atrium. I could really go for one of these. Fancy book clubs and tea parties and cocktail hours.

Hump Day

Just thought this might help us all over the hump. {via Epicute}








I also love this "Googly Eye Breakfast" from Angie's photostream.

Kim's Awesome Soup

Dudes, I can't wait to try this one. Kim made Escarole, Sausage & White Bean Soup and it looks fabulous! She said it was pretty easy to put together and turned out great. You might have to venture to the "fancy" cheese aisle to get parmesan that has a rind (not a plastic shaker) but Kim said it really added a lot of flavor. Hollah at me if you make this one! {directions on RecipeMogul}

A Gorgeous Property.

Today's fabulous Mansion Church is brought to you by my friend, Paula, who recently had the opportunity to meet up with our Ann Arbor homies in Chicago. This lovely building is home to the Fourth Presbyterian Church on the corner of Michigan Ave (The Magnificent Mile) and Deleware Place. I could definitely do some prayin' there!




ARCHWAYS - *sigh*






A lovely courtyard! For prayin', of course.






Ivy doin' it's thang. Love it.

EAT PIES!!!! And help some folks.

Hi All! I recently met some great people at the DC Food Blogger Happy Hour, and they told me about a fabulous opportunity to donate and help people in need this season.

SLICE OF LIFE is a DC area pie sale allowing you to purchase Thanksgiving pies and make an impact in the lives of thousands in need in your community. All proceeds from sales go to Food & Friends. The Food & Friends mission is to prepare and deliver specialized meals and groceries in conjunction with nutrition counseling to DC Area residents living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses. In 2008, over 913,036 meals were served.

This large-scale bake sale is in its third year and not only allows you to purchase pies for you and your family, but also to complement the full Thanksgiving meals our clients will receive by purchasing a pie, or two, to be delivered with their holiday meal. You also have the option of simply making a donation to the Food & Friends organization.

Every year I try to find an organization to contribute to that helps people in my immediate community. I like the idea that we could be helping our neighbors, the people who make our city a special place to live. My hope is that our community be a place where people care for each other, and it's up to all of us to support organizations that work hard every day to make that happen.

Nov. 19th is the deadline, so get your Pumpkin, Harvest Apple, Sweet Potato, Southern Pecan or Chocolate Cheesecake pie ordered today! {visit Food n' Friends to order/donate}

In the "Cool Stuff" Category

Oi. Just stumbled onto Epicute: a blog about cute food. A bunch of totally precious silly crap. Love it! {found via Shelterrific}

I bet you have an unused gift card sitting around. GiftCardGiver.com collects and distributes cards to non-profit organizations. Neat idea: throw a party and ‘card’ people at the door. {via SwissMiss}

There's another new baby at the Smithsonian Zoo. This time it's a gazelle. I want one!

Improv Everywhere was at it again on the NY Subway. "They installed a photography studio on a random subway car. They claimed that the MTA had hired them to take photos of every single person who rides the subway and that they’d be producing a yearbook at the end of the year." There's nothing particularly mindblowing about this idea except that it struck me how weird it was to see people smiling on the subway. It would be kindof nice if everyone on Metro was quietly and happily posing for a yearbook photo. Hmm. {via SwissMiss}

Food Flags by ad agency, WHYBIN/TBWA. *Cool*, amiright? {via SSC}