Listening to...

Feeling inspired is tough some times.   Even if I have no problem feeling some sort of inspiration 6 days a week, it doesn't matter.  One moment of feeling less than excited about life is no bueno.   I am an inspiration junky.  Enough is never enough.  I always want more, more more.  Learning, observing, analyzing, thinking, thinking thinking...that's what I do.  But on a day like today where the sky is pure white, the air is turning frigid, and all of the to-do's on my list are done, I feel the only place I belong is on my couch with the TV turned to some mindless HGTV show (House Hunters!). This is one of those days that I must turn to one of my short cuts.  My little trip down memory lane that instantly brings me back...way back.

My So Called Life!

It only aired for one season, but in that time it totally changed my teenage life.  Of course I wasn't even allowed to watch it, so the ritual of sneaking off to catch a glimpse of Jordan Catalano wherever I possibly could became increasingly special, freeing moments for me.  Other than the book, Go Ask Alice, few other things spoke to my clogged, emotional teen brain like this show and that's why even now, when I need to feel anything, really...I watch a snippet and let it take me back in time. Here's one of my fave scenes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQAAQeNnC-E

My commute...

Most days my commute into Times Square is a a mish mash of crowds, clutter, congestion, and noise. And yet somehow, it is almost always amusing.  Today, I had the pleasure of witnessing:

-A business woman bustling beside me cloaked in a fleece Superbowl Snuggie.
-A cabbie honking and screaming to two pedestrians only to ask a question about the Packers.
-A lone pineapple atop a public trash can cover.
-And one high-stepping fellow who managed to keep perfect pace with me all the way to my office...no matter how many cars I jumped in front of and bicycles I dodged.

Things that make me laugh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-yLGIH7W9Y

Aaah, the things we say...

My personal favorite is, "Are you near a computer?!" 

I've been guilty of that one since weather.com came onto the scene.  First step, leave the house.  Second step, look up down and around in complete bewilderment.  Third step, remove phone from purse and call husband.  Fourth step, hang up and dial Mom when husband's voicemail sounds.  Fifth step, "Mom!  Are you near a computer?  You are?!  Thanks! I need to know if it's going to rain today."

I've never gone back for an umbrella, but I think just knowing helps.

FREE NYC

FREE dessert at the teal food truck between 36 and 37 on 7th Avenue!  While supplies last!

Christmas Music Musts...

Springsteen - Santa Claus is coming to town
Mariah - All I Want for Christmas is You (duh.)
The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
The Royal Guardsman - Snoopy's Christmas
The Killers - Cowboys Christmas Ball
Lennon - Happy Christmas
Wham - Last Christmas
Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick
Trans Siberian Orchestra - Nutrocker
Darlene Love - Marshmallow World
Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone - Baby, It's Cold Outside

Quick! Download them before it gets too late!

Did I forget any?

Fixer Upper - Motel edition

Found the coolest dream motel fixer upper in Burbank, CA this weekend.  Nothing on the website admits that it may have formerly been the divey-est creepiest pay-by-the-hour motel, but I just know it had to be.  It had an essence.

Pulling up, Tangerine still looks a bit like a crappy motel with an orange paint and wood panel face lift, but luckily we weren't scared off.  Not to mention it had stellar ratings online and only cost a hundred bucks.  Once inside, my jealousy reached an all time high.  Someone had defintely bought an old motel and made it into their passion project.  This place was awesome.  The layout...old skool motel.  Everything else...A-MAZING.  Poured concrete floors, huge new king size beds, modern lighting, flat screen telly's, and the cutest little pool area I've ever seen.

Staying at Tangerine made me realize you don't need to knock down everything old in order for it to be better.  Old is still cool, as long as it's clean.

I also realized...I really need to buy a motel.

http://tangerinehotel.com/relax.html

 Street view

 Signage

 Cutesy poopsie pool and cool pavers.

 Loving all the tangerine!

 and of course the pool!

Flying...

This is how I roll.

Bagel + Wine = Airplane time.

Listening to...

A little Tom Petty to get in the mood for a day filled with laborious query letter writing and book submissions!  Let's hope one of these finally makes it into the hands of an agent wanting to add Diary Girl to their list. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TlBTPITo1I&feature=related

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

And this...

is what the end of the day looks like!

The middle of the week has come and gone!  Happy hump day!

Things that make me laugh...

Who wore it best?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/who-wore-it-best-the-bread-necklace

Listening to...

A rainy day is perfect for Miss Regina...

Fidelity

 For dessert...

Us

Holiday wear - building lobby edition.

 Nothing is better than working in NYC during the holidays.   And I mean, nothing.  Ever. (So there!) 

Usually the city is plain CRAZY to maneuver through on the way to work.  There is an infinite amount of obstacles just waiting to take you down, but somehow when the buildings are all gussied up in their Christmas-y finest, getting body checked, trampled, and yelled at (by the one inevitably crazy lady standing between you and the lobby door) seems totally worth it.  And it is!  Because a) I have to be there anyway and b) these things make us more well rounded.  Right?  Body check, anyone?

Listening to...

It's a little sad (and even more old), but it's got one of my two favorite things...piano!

Red Jumpsuit App - Cat and Mouse

(My other favorite is whistling. Ex. Peter Bjorn and John - Young folks)

HOME-GROWN: Grinch Tree

Tis the season for...Grinch Trees!

While they may look as though they've traveled straight from the cave where the Fraggles once rocked, they're actually right at Home Depot in the landscaping/tree/outdoorsy area.  And they're perfect for pretty-ing up your house this time of year!

Purchased from: Home Depot

Time Required: under 10 minutes

Must Haves: Shovel, Grinch tree, and a place to plop it.

We really need to rake.

Please note the pup in the doorway. Always guarding...

HOME-GROWN: Fancy fancy Chandelier 2

Since the lighting in our house is seriously busted, I've become quite determined to salvage, paint, and repurpose what I can.

First up...our old brass front door chandelier. 

Purchased:  White spray paint and rounder, quirkier light bulbs to replace the old drippy candle ones.

Time required: Overnight - to allow time for the paint to dry.

Must haves: Top Chef playing in the back ground, striped pajama pants, a tiny dog for quality checking purposes and a touch of patience.  It's just hard to wait when the end result looks so undeniably cool and the paint is still too wet to touch.

Framed.

I love books.  (Enough so, that I've written one - insert Diary Girl plug here)  So in an era ruled by Kindle's and Nook's, I figured what better way to pay homage to my favorite ones, than by framing some of the best pages!  Plus, it gives people something to do while they're waiting on me to get ready or inevitably searching every single room for my my purse before leaving the house - how do I always drop it in a different place each day?!

I started with a couple pages from The Giver...

HOME-GROWN: Fancy fancy Chandelier 1

This chandelier was a PAIN to put up in our nearly 100 year old house, but it was also well worth it due to the dazzling, copious amounts of shiny glass droplets.

Purchased from: Pottery Barn & Home Depot (ceiling medallion)

Time required: HOURS...and hours...and hours (they individually wrapped each glassy droplet!)

Must haves: Patience, actual tools, and wine. Lots of wine.

Listening to...

Queen - Killer Queen

My first book.

I wrote a book.  And it was hard.  It sucked me dry and it took a long time.  Like, a really really annoyingly long time.  Nobody tells you about that part of writing a book, how long it will take.  All anyone says is that it's "hard" or "worth it" or "such a great creative release," but they don't say, "Oh you're writing a book?  That takes a long ass time," because like all things in life - things in the past are but a distant memory.  Once you get past it, you forget the pain. You forget the struggle.  You lie to yourself and think it was great and totally worth it.

Clearly, I'm not there yet.

Although my book hasn't been published yet, I still have to believe it will be.  I mean, it took so long to write, it has to be.  There really is no other option. Not for me, anyway. 

My book is a compilation of my very own high school diary entries as I navigate my way through the 4 most confusing years of my life.  Diary Girl is a tale of self-exploration, insecurity, and learning.  It is my life, but in a way it could be anybody's.  So, I guess that's why I did it.  And I guess that's why I'm starting this blog, too.  Because no matter how old I get, I'll always be a diary girl, through and through.

I am a diary girl.  This is my life.