penguin suit

Oh gosh, another! How will I pick a costume this year?

rawrrr!

This dinosaur costume is just amazing. I might have to get it.



I already have my Halloween costume picked out though. So this would just be for everyday.

home improvement

I spent my day off yesterday doing a super fall cleaning and home improvement in preparation for my house guest this weekend. I dusted, picked up my clothes off the floor, changed the sheets, did laundry, swept (I could've made a kitten stuffed animal out of all the cat hair!), and put away all my summer clothes. It feels so good to get organized.

I also finally got around to hanging up these brass branch curtain hooks that I ordered from Urban Outfitters a few weeks ago. Aren't they lovely? I used to keep my curtains open by tucking one behind the radiator pole and the other wrapped around my floor lamp. This looks much neater!

just a reminder...

(image via Le Love)

simple fact

Do you think this is true? In my case, I hope so.

Joshua Ferris

Last night Bionics and I went to see Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to The End, read from his new book, The Unnamed. I asked Bionics to go with me since she was the one who introduced me to his first book. Since we had some time to kill before the reading started, we decided to grab a few drinks beforehand. You know how the rest goes.

We ended up downing our drinks and running over to The Strand, arriving 5 minutes late. We managed to get seats in the last row where you can just about make out what he says if you leaned slightly forward and turned your ear toward the podium. About 10 minutes into the reading I texted Bionic, who was sitting right next to me.

"Are you finding him really boring or am I just drunk?"

Bionics chuckled and texted back.

"Oh thank god. I thought I was the only one to think he was boring."

Perhaps because of the alcohol, we could not concentrate on his voice. The floor boards of the book store creaked so loudly when customers walked about the store, which was so distracting. Then a car alarm was going off outside on the street. Then a baby started crying.

"Creak, creak, creak. Meep, meep, meep. Wah, wah, wah. Creak, meep, wah!" was all we could hear above Ferris's monotone voice.

Bionics and I continued to rudely text back and forth like (drunken) teenagers at an assembly. "Clack, clack, clack."

I heard Ferris read a line where the characters drove past a Waffle House and realized I hadn't eaten dinner.

"Mmmmm waffle house," I texted.

This caused both our bodies to shake uncontrollably as we were trying to silence our giggles. We were such rude, drunk, teenagers.

I hope karma doesn't get me when it's my turn to have a reading on my book tour. Haha.

(We did purchase his new book though so that should balance the cosmics).

Happy Birthday, Rich!

Today is my big brother's birthday and I'm sad I can't be there to celebrate with him. I am so proud of the man he's grown up to be. I followed him around as a kid and if we lived closer I would probably still. He is still my biggest hero.

I love you and miss you!

talks with myself

I thought this was funny so I figured I'd blog about it. Yesterday I woke up still drunk from a random Monday night out. I saw a missed Skype message from my sister and began typing to her. I was still drunk and was reading messages I typed as what she typed and would answer myself. For example:

Sis: You there?

Me: I'm here!!

Me: Me too!

Me: God I'm still drunk.

Me: Omg me too!

This went on for about 4 minutes before I realized I was talking to myself. I told my sister this later and she said, "I wanna have what you were drinking."

Or maybe I said that too.

what a Tart!

I ordered this dress by Tart via Gilt the other night. (Gilt is so addicting! I'm going broke). I debated between black, grey, or green for hours and finally decided to just be daring (I'm such a rebel) and get the green one.

Please hurry up and get here!

High School Reunion

This past weekend I attended my 10 year high school reunion in Jersey. A lot of people said to me, "Wow, I can't believe you went. I didn't go to mine." It had never crossed my mind not to go. Ever since I graduated I just assumed we'd all see each other again at the reunion. I went off to college as a Psychology major, hoping to become a psychologist. I definitely never could have imagined the life I have now at 28. I changed my major 3 times, my career twice, moved 6 times... It's definitely been a journey with lots of detours and side streets.

So I hopped on the train and headed over with my best friends JWow, Carebears, and Carebear's husband. It was awkward from the entrance where I walked into the banquet room and scanned the faces and realized I didn't actually have anything to say to anyone. I was stuck in a lot of uncomfortable conversations where there would be some awkward silences. After the standard, "How are you, where do you live, what do you do?" there was not much else to say. I felt like I would have had a buffer if I had a spouse with me. Like I could've turned to my husband and said, "Honey, did you say you wanted to try the salmon?" and politely excuse ourselves. Instead, I would say, "I'm gonna, um, grab another drink." Which is why I got very, very drunk.

At some points I remembered thinking, "Why did I come to this?" But as the night went on, I was having a blast hanging out with my girlfriends who I'm still friends with anyway.



We danced to some songs from our high school days like Britney Spears, BackStreet Boys, and Sisqo. Gotta love the thong song!

There were so many hilarious quotes from the night. There were people who wouldn't say hi at the reunion but they're friends with me on facebook. I was like, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize we're only friends on the internet and that I have to be subjected to your pictures of your children and your posts about childrearing but we're not friends who say hi when they see each other." And then there were the girls who threatened to beat me up every single day of high school to the point where I didn't want to go to school anymore. My friend Jwow asked me, "Did you ask them if they remember threatening you everyday?" No, I answered. "Well, I think you should," she said. Wouldn't that have been funny?  Then there was the girl who is the mother of my ex's child. I was so drunk and I told my girlfriend, "She impregnated my boyfriend when we were dating." Haha. Then we were on the dance floor and I turned to Carebears to comment, "I feel like we're at prom." At the same time she turned to me and said, "This feels like a 40 year reunion." I was feeling like I was 18 and she felt we were 60.

I drank so much...too much. I definitely didn't look like a changed at all. Overall, I had fun but it just felt so...high school. I woke up and said, "I wanna hide under a rock for a year," after my drunken behavior of the night. Carebears turned to me and said, "Yeah? How about 10." Yikes. I don't think I'll be attending the 20 year.

Here's a picture of me and my Romy. We never ask what the other person is wearing and we always end up wearing similar outfits. We seriously share a brain.



Perhaps the best part of the night, aside from hanging out with my best friends was our end of the night stop for a Crave Pack at White Castle. I felt disgusting the following morning but it was oh so good when I was eating it. And that's all it's really about right? Living in the moment.



And purging later.

Just kidding. Don't do that. It ruins your teeth.

it happens

Sometimes you end up on the floor.



It was that kind of night.

Party Down

I have been pretty down lately and I mentioned to a friend that I couldn't watch any movies or shows with love or romance in it. So I've mostly been watching true crime shows such as Unsolved Mysteries and 48 Hours Later. Violence and murder, I can deal with. My friend thought I could use a good laugh and suggested the series, Party Down. I had never heard of it before and after watching the entire first season I am OB-SESSED. It is knee slapping and snorting laughter funny. The show's about a bunch of wanna-be and failed actors working for a catering company in LA. The writing is just incredible.

I was feeling pretty pathetic for buying a tub of ice cream at the supermarket but my friend came over and shared it with me so it was less pathetic. We drank beers, ate ice cream, and watched the entire first season. When it was over he got up to leave and said, "Call me for your next fat girl night."

The box set for Season 2 comes out Sept 28th. I can't wait!!!

fall into flannel

Technically, there's still another week of summer left but I couldn't wait to wear my favorite flannel. It seemed a little out of place on this sunny day (paired with black tights and combat boots) but I just couldn't resist. I'm officially saying goodbye to tan skin and teeny- tiny-barely-covers-my-ass sundresses. Hello butchy lumberjack...

Mentor

I saw this book, Mentor by Tom Grimes, on the Discover Great New Writers list at Barnes & Noble and admit I picked it up because of its cover. (I'm so easy). In his book, Grimes tells the story of the life of a writer and his relationship with his teacher. While reading this book, I felt like Grimes was writing out my thoughts when he describes his aspirations as a writer, the self-doubt, and the disappointments. But more than that, his relationship with his professor, his mentor, really touched me. It made me think of the people who have unknowingly influenced and guided me, mainly my former English professor. I had lost touch with her a few years back, but after reading this book I decided to email her. After I hit send I continued to refresh my inbox to see if she'd emailed back, nervous that she wouldn't, or worse, wouldn't remember me.

A few hours later I received a reply and it made my day. I will be forever grateful to her for stepping into my life when I had very little guidance and encouraging me to pursue writing. We're planning on meeting for lunch soon and I'm so excited to pick her brain and ask for her opinion on my latest work. (Hopefully there would be fewer red marks and question marks than when she graded my papers years ago).

Isn't it amazing how one little encounter with someone can change your life or make such a difference? Who knows, maybe you've affected someone and one day you'll receive an email from someone who's always been grateful to you all these years.

fall blazer

The days have been sunny and warm here in NYC but the nights are starting to get cooler. I'm not ready for summer to end but I'm excited for my fall layers and accessories. My first fall purchase was this BDG Schoolboy Blazer from Urban Outfitters. I'm in love with the stripes under the collar and the brown elbow patches.



I wore this too meet my best friend, JWOWW, for dinner at Hecho en Dumbo in NOHO. We weren't super impressed with their cocktails (but I was pretty hungover so my body may have just been repelled by anything alcoholic) but their guacamole, queso fundido, tacos de langosta, and carne de chango were delicious!

Since J is in town for work, they put her up in the swanky Embassy Suites, and she generously invited me to join her. I just love hotels and any chance to escape my cluttered, roach infested apartment. I'm still dreaming about the king sized bed, the 20 pillows, and the amazing shower pressure. I woke up this morning, read the paper in bed, and had a lovely complimentary breakfast. Who am I? I thought, "So this is how people who have real jobs live."

It's so fluffy!

During our slumber party this weekend Carebears was doling out pillows for the girls. She turned to Romy and said, "Do you want the unicorn pillow?" I almost lost it. I needed to have the unicorn pillow and snatched it out of her hands. Romy began laughing and said I was exactly like Agnes from Despicable Me.



Now I just need this bike (seen on Cup of Jo) and my life would be complete.

weekend

My weekend was pretty jam packed with fun. I had plans with Bionic (I haven't seen her in so long!) but sadly she suddenly felt ill and had to cancel. I was sitting at the bar talking to a friend who said he had to go out to dinner with 3 married couples. I told him I knew how he felt since I'm also usually the odd number out at dinners. He was upset that his date had suddenly cancelled and I offered to join him invited myself to come along. Hey, dinner was at Wolfgang's and I had never been. A totally last minute plan due to 2 cancellations, but the night turned out to be super fun. The steak dinner was absolutely delicious (his date was vegetarian so it would've just been a waste on her anyway) and we continued on after for a long night of drinking.

I was struggling to get through work on Saturday morning but had to jump on a train right after and head to Jersey for another night out with my girlfriends. Nothing a 2 hour nap on the train couldn't fix. We met up at our favorite local martini bar to celebrate our friend, JWow's, visit. I'm not sure if it was the company of high school friends, or if something else had gotten into us, but we were beyond immature the entire night. Sometimes it's fantastic to behave like delinquent teenagers. After the bars closed we went on for drunk food (cheesesteak sliders mmmmm) and then belted out songs along with the radio during the drive home. I wish we were videotaped because it was the most atrocious performance. Ever. We ended the night by camping out in Carebear's mom's living room. Did I ever mention how much I love slumber parties?





The following morning we woke up and got breakfast together before they sent me off on the train. I swear, it doesn't matter how much time goes in between seeing these girls, whenever I see them it just feels like, "Ah, this is home." All is right in the world when I am with them.

NOLA booked!

On Thursday, fittingly during the Saints game, I drunkenly booked a flight to New Orleans. My sister had sent me a link for a Jet Blue fare sale and I scoured the list, searching for a city of interest. I had only 2 hours before the sale ended and needed to make a quick decision. I pulled out my laptop and hastily typed in my credit card info since I was also running low on batteries and didn't want the laptop to die mid transaction. I blame the haste, more than the drunkeness, for the following confirmation email:

"Itinerary for your upcoming trip, Ms. Lina D1rkensten!"

This is a major fail, even for me. I was on the phone with Jet Blue for hours. Luckily someone there had a sense of humor. Now that that's sorted out, I'm so incredibly excited for my trip in November. I have never been there before and am looking forward to spending a few days with my old roommate, Andrew, and seeing the new bar that he's opening, and of course exploring the city, drinking and eating my way through.



Oh please hurry up and get here, November!

slumber party- grown up edition

Last night I went over to my friend, Holly's, for a slumber party. But this is a slightly more grown up version with some champagne, shrimp cocktail, hummus, cheese and veggie dip. Mmm. We got in our jammies, filled our glasses, and settled in to watch some movies. I wanted nothing that had to do with love so our choices were between animations, kids' movies, or horror. We settled on Labyrinth, a childhood favorite of Holly's. She was appalled that I had never seen it before and after watching it I realized why. It is the dumbest movie of all time. I'm just kidding...I mean, I think you had to have seen it as a kid to enjoy it today...but I can see it's allure...Goblins, catchy songs, talking worms, and creepy David Bowie in spandex.

The movie got us reminiscing about all the movies we loved as kids and teenagers from the 80's and 90's. We made a list of movies and decided that we're going to get together once a month (I'd prefer once a week) for throw-back movie night. Some favorites include Clueless, Reality Bites, Look Who's Talking, and Leprechaun. Quite a random list.



Anyway, the night was super fun and I honestly don't know anyone who has a more comfortable bed in Manhattan. (Must get the IKEA duvet!) I don't know what it is about slumber parties but I hope we never get too old for them.

crouching tiger

My little nephew with a new haircut...Doesn't he look like a little monk? One that you want to eat?

apartment anniversary

I've been so distracted lately that I haven't noticed that September is here. (And yikes, rent was due on the first). There are so many things going on this month. September marks the end of summer, my brother's birthday is coming up, my high school reunion (eeep!), and I just realized that I've been living in my Astoria apartment for a year now. I moved 3 times in one year the year before and couch surfed for 6 months. So this is an anniversary to celebrate. Perhaps I'll leave some cake out for the roaches.

Open by Andre Agassi

About 2 weeks ago I finished reading Andre Agassi's memoir titled Open. I had picked up the book for 3 reasons. 1) I was told that Agassi had devoted a chapter to and a friend of mine. 2) Many raved about it. 3) It was finally available in a much more compact paperback.

I was impressed with the book right from the first few pages. I had expected a book about tennis (which I have very little knowledge) but it was about so much more than that. Agassi writes about family, pressure, drive, and a search for his identity outside of everyone's expectations. Most men I know who've read it thinks he whined too much. Typical of men, no ability to sympathize. I admired how vulnerable and honest his voice was, an obvious play on words for the book's title. I highly recommend this book.

(PS- I even developed a new interest in the sport. US Open anyone?)

perfect ending

My Labor Day Weekend started off very interestingly. I was not part of the masses that had a half day on Friday and squeezed through the tunnels with 8.4 million other people to escape the city. I actually went home after work and watched crime shows for 6 hours straight. (Hey, I was hungover ok? Besides, I love crime shows. So bite me).

Saturday was my holiday weekend kick off. I had polished off a bottle of champagne by 4PM. Miss Brit emailed me an invite to a party that I needed to RSVP to. It was an after party for the Electric Zoo festival that was going on all weekend. I clicked on the link to RSVP and received a reply that said they would email me with the secret location of the party. In all my years of living in this city I have never been to a rave, a warehouse party, or a secret party. Now I can say I've done all 3. We received the address and headed to the warehouse in Sunset Park, Brooklyn at around midnight. I have never seen anything like this party. There were DJ's, art installations, performers, and people dressed for the Asian theme of Forbidden Temple (think Geisha's, silk robes, pandas, and...chopsticks?). The warehouse was packed with hundreds of people decked out as if it were Halloween. (And some people decided to just pull out any old costume that was laying around...Sharks, Bacon, Bunnies...anything goes!) If you wondered where all the freaks and misfits of NYC were this weekend, well, I have a pretty good guess. The party just blew my mind. It was like an alternate universe I was just walking through observing. Don't mind me.

So here we are all smiles before we knew what we were getting ourselves into:



While walking through the party we stumbled upon the booth for Rape-O The Clown. I mean...how do you not laugh? You could pay him $1.25 to insult you. I do a good enough job of smashing my own ego. I passed.



I mentioned all of the characters in costume. I ran into the Bacon late in the evening. I was quite hungry by then...Nom Nom Nom



Later we discovered the flower petal garden. It was a space covered in rose petals that were so fragrant and people were just sitting in it, talking, relaxing, or making out if you're the couple behind me. I decided to meditate... with some PBR.



I finally surrendered at 5AM. I could not stand up for another minute. I crawled to a taxi and fell asleep at 5:30 AM... the second I walked into the apartment.

The following morning, I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do less than waking up 6 hours after I had fallen asleep to get dresses and attend an all day music festival. But I had already paid for my ticket and had to pick up each leg that I couldn't feel and forced them out of bed. I bought a Red Bull from across the street and that was about as ready as I was gonna be.

It was a gorgeous sunny day so at least that justified getting out of bed. Or made the day much easier to get through. There were many more firsts for me throughout the day. My first time on Randall's Island. My first time at an Electro music festival. I've never understood electro or house music which always made me feel like one of those people who couldn't see the hidden image in a Magic Eye poster (which I also can't do). I desperately wanted to hear what everyone else was hearing. Like the kid that just couldn't understand long division and had to stay after class until he got it, I felt like I was being exposed to electro (for 8 straight hours) until I "got it." I'm not sure if I'm going to start following DJ's to their shows around the world but I had a blast dancing from afternoon into the night.



By 9:30PM my legs just couldn't take it anymore. White flag. I needed to go home. My body was covered in dirt from people dancing in the field, kicking up the dirt that blew through the air. I showered and went straight to sleep.

Monday morning, Labor Day, I had to force myself out of bed again. It was another gorgeous day and I needed to pack my bag, rush to the train, and get to the beach. I made the train with 3 minutes to spare. Romy picked me up from the station (this made me miss my mama), got take out, and headed to the beach. The day could not have been more perfect. We had a group of about 20 friends, hanging out, drinking, and enojying the weather.



After the beach, we showered up and headed to the Tiki Bar. I wanted my last pina colada of the summer but already the temps were dropping at night and I could only manage one before I froze to death. We decided to go for a sushi dinner with some red wine to warm up. We were so tired and full from dinner that we couldn't handle any more activity after that. We called it a night.

Today I got in some more beach time before I had to catch the train home. I could not have asked for a more perfect end to the summer.

(Now let's fast forward to February when my brother returns!)

hipster dinosaur

I have found joy in little lately (oh I'm so dramatic aren't I?) until I was introduced by Romy and Rocker Tycoon to Hipster Dinosaurs this weekend. It's just fucking hilarious. The quotes are so funny but the colored in hipster uniform of flannels, cut off jean shorts, and ironic glasses are even better!

be back soon! i swear

My dears, I have been so bad at posting these past few weeks. I'm off to the beach again tomorrow. I promise to be better after the holiday weekend! Hope you're having a wonderful time! xoxo

delusional New Yorkers

This article about how New Yorker's decided that they actually hate this city had me cracking up during my subway ride. For me it's the roaches, piss smell, sidewalk hogs, and lack of crosstown subways that would eventually make me snap. Thank You, The Onion, for making me smile for the first time in days. Imagine if we actually came to our senses and left this city.