My new philosophy

To appreciate my forthcoming anecdote, I’m throwing you a little Broadway.  Because, really, all of life’s conundrums have been addressed on the stage.

Why are you telling me?  NO!  I can’t stand it!

These philosophies are all well and good, but mine suits nearly every possible situation.

For example, today, while standing in line to get a bagel at Murray’s (it wasn’t nearly as busy as the Saturday morning we went, Aunt Debbie and Aunt Carla), a young uptown mom and Anna Wintour lookalike (in both appearance and ATTITUDE) was helping her toddler son pick up some bagel chips he knocked over.  I stepped in front of them to read the menu, and the mom jumped up and RUDELY insisted, “I was IN line.”  I apologized, and said I was checking out the menu while she’d been squatting on the floor in her high heels and designer handbag.  She ROLLED her eyes at me, and I let her and her son regain their precious spot in line.  When the line hadn’t moved after a minute or so, she turned to me and said “Would you like to see the menu now?”  Zillions of retorts flashed through my mind in a split second, but I settled on this, which I’ve decided will be my go-to comeback:

I’m all set.

Was it polite?  Or tinged with contempt?  It’s so subtle, you can’t really tell.  And that’s why I like it.

Two months in, and I’m already a jaded New Yorker.

Takin’ on the jellies

A few weeks ago, I promised August that we’d go to the aquarium on the next rainy day.  So Monday morning, we took the subway out to Coney Island to the NY Aquarium.  I was more than underwhelmed, but August seemed to enjoy it.  Well, he mostly loved running around the exhibits in the dark rooms.  That counts as success in my book.

Copycat #3

August grabs the pole on the subway.  You know–so his stroller doesn’t slide down the aisle.  Safety first.

Celebrity sighting #3

Two of my aunts are visiting from the Pacific Northwest.  On the last day of their visit, my Aunt Carla said, “You know the only thing that would make this trip complete would be a celebrity sighting.”  And then this guy walked by us as we sat outside Central Park feeding August some lunch.

Options for Liz’s room

Just sitting here getting ideas for Liz’s room redo, er, new-do.  Here are some of my current thoughts.

A lamp like this for both sides of her bed:

But this shape is something I’ve seen a lot at Home Goods for about half that price.  So I’ll be checking there.  And Ikea, Walmart (gulp), Kmart, Target and Craigslist.

Opposite her bed is a dresser with a TV.  We’re going to put a narrow bookcase on either side of it.  Something like this from Kmart:

I think I’ll style it up with some ribbon edging or lining the inside with pretty paper.

The curtains are posing a problem.  We’re looking for a navy print that is 96 inches with a curtain rod pocket.  Maybe we’ll whip some up ourselves following this super easy DIY curtain tutorial from design*sponge.  If we can find some cheap-o versions of some of these blue Calico Corner fabrics, we’d be golden.

As for nightstands, I’d love to find some matching vintage ones from Craigslist, Savers or the Salvation Army.  I’ve heard that finding matching ones in thrift shops is nortoriously hard.  So we may have to bite the consumerist bullet and head to Ikea for some simple Swedish design like this:

Or this slightly cheaper one:

Since it is cheaper, I’d add some adorable knobs from Anthropology like these:

Since I don’t have a place of my own, I’ll take pleasure in nesting vicariously through Liz.

Liz’s room

Like her sister, Liz is redoing her room, or rather, she’s doing it for the first time.  Right now, it’s a blank white rental box:

But soon it will look like this inspiration room:

Liz is a beach lover and a talented amateur photographer, so she has tons of scenic beachscapes that she can enlarge like this shot she took recently:

This past weekend, we picked up a blue blanket and satiny throw pillow for her bed at TJMaxx.  She’s temporarily pulled the duvet cover off her standard white comforter while she waits for my white duvet to arrive from the UK.  Everything else in this copycat design is super easy too: paint the walls a sandy color, get some lamps, find curtains and add some storage (she does live in NYC after all–storage is the name of the game).  I’ll post pics when we’re done.

Celebrity sighting #2

This guy walked into a restaurant today.

Clarification: a restaurant that I was *also* at.  He sat down at a table right next to me, joining a small group of friends including a young girl with whom August had been flirting.

He looked REALLY good.  Just sayin’…

Tompkins Square Park

Tompkins Square Park is only two or three blocks from our sublet.  It’s a GREAT park with a GREAT playground.  August has become an expert at spotting playgrounds and subway stops; if his eagle eyes spy either, he sits up in his stroller and points enthusiastically.  Because he loves playing…

…on the slide

…on the tire swing

…and on the benches!

Wellies twins

We’ve done it again.

Due to the snowy weather we’ve had recently, I decided to get some wellies to trudge through the slush (the puddles surrounding the curbs are deceptively DEEP).  This picture was taken on the roof of my building during our little winter storm last Wednesday.

I got my boots from–where else–Craigslist.  Did you think I paid retail for them?  No way!  Not even close.  And I LOVE them!  August has had his wellies for a while; they are from a thrift shop in Cam.  I think I paid 75p for them.  Sigh…I miss the charity shops of Cambridge.  Big time.

Free decorating

Not that I’m planning anything, but one of the best things about living in NYC is that the Craigslist options are ENDLESS!  Since regular folks like me can’t afford to live here, I don’t think I’d ever pay full price for anything but food ever again!  For example, IF I was going to furnish a small flat here (read: IF), check out these amazing things I could get for FREE on Craigslist:

Saarinen-style Table

This is possibly the coolest free item ever.  It’s my only-in-my-dreams table, and I was planning to settle for the cheap(er) Ikea version.  But a *free* one?  Yes, please!  I may or may not have contacted the “seller” to see if it’s still available…

Crib

I’m pretty sure this free crib is this one from Ikea.

Dresser

Looks like this free dresser is pretty solid.

Sleeper Sofa

I’m kinda digging the what looks like orange corduroy on this free sleeper sofa.

With a little elbow grease, these items could be spiffed up in no time.

Just sayin’…