Vibram Five Finger Shoes

In preparation for my trip to Yellowstone, I went to buy a Sigg .6 ounce water bottle tonight and to try on these shoes. I thought they would be great for hiking/getting wet and I had wondered about them since first finding the website last year. An article titled "You Walk Wrong" in New York Magazine about going barefoot earlier this Spring further piqued my interest. The trip was the perfect excuse for the expense.

Alas! My feet aren't quite right for them. The toes are too short in the 37 and the foot is too long in the 38. They are very light and flexible. I think they would be great if you like going barefoot and they fit your feet, but I'm not going to lie. The toes part is a little strange; it feels like having the little pieces of paper or foam between your toes for a pedicure and it is hard to get your toes in the right spots. Over time though I bet they'd feel all natural.

At least I managed to find a plain silver version of the Sigg bottle. :) That way Jaime and I won't get ours mixed up. Now I just need the belt clip, so I can hang it on me instead of grasping it.

Vika's weekend in NYC

So this is what I have so far (I think)

Wed, get in town, Rafe goes straight to hotel in NYC
Thurs, rehearsal dinner
Fri, wedding
Sat, hanging out, dinner that night w/ Sarah & Jaime, and Rafe's friends, and Mike's friend-possibly our friend Molly can come to this, too. So dinner w/ a friend night.
Sun, go home.

Is this right?

Realized we didn't tell Sarah about these plans..

Plus and Minus

So I heard certain NYC home prices dropped 7% this morning on NPR:


Originally I was going to post a plus and a minus on the housing market in NYC, then I realized they were both minuses and I didn't want to be negative. So whoops. Plus I couldn't find a link to the article.

Overtime

I went to the Department of Labor this morning. They told I would be better off going to Small Claims court (up to 5k - which given my miscalculation I am owed more than - yet if she would just do that I would be fine). I just want someone else to deal with this. I'm almost ready to give up and forget about it.

Yellow, Everything is Yellow

Some yellow dresses. Not necessarily affordable, but kind of cute.

Tracy Reese
Love the bright yellow in combination with the black.

This one is a Jrs. dress but kind of cute. By De La Ru.

Wrap dress from Victoria's Secret. Wrap dresses are so hit and miss for me.















Kate Moss for Topshop
Hard to tell since it's not on a person, but could be really cute.

Oh, here, found a picture of Kate Moss in the dress.

















Foley + Corinna
Me likey :)

















Another Tracy Reese
Not entirely sure how I feel about this one... but something about it is cute.

More lingerie

Some more lingerie, plus I thought you might like the ballet inspired shoot Sarah.

Word Clouds

I really like the concept of word clouds... I would prefer for blogger to post our tags this way!

Cardboard Cats

This is kind of neat. Transform your shoes with shoe clips.

Not entirely sure what this is but it looks kind of cute. And, it's eco friendly apparently. Jaime, for Ninja?

So we had a discussion about it this weekend and decided that we're asking people to not give us any presents. So no registries for us. Have you set yours up yet Jaime?

um.

so here is hoping my pending nausea passes... awesome. went to bryant park movie night, drank quite a bit of wine, and watched very little of the movie. friends' friend was there. met him once before at a birthday party in may(?). i thought we hit it off then, but he had a girlfriend and left soon after i arrived. still has a girlfriend, which makes me uncomfortable but insists it isn't serious. one friend clearly didn't think it was okay for him to be flirting with me. the other two, who have hooked up with him in the past, are all for it. supposed to do dinner before a "booze cruise" around manhattan thursday night. not sure what i'm thinking about all this other than my stomach hurts. crap.

edit: at what point do you become that girl? is this innocent fun or is this enabling his "bad" behavior?

In response to Vika seeing X-Files

Yeah, didn't really think it would be that good. ;)

Sexy Things

Lingerie for women, and men...

More lingerie. Plus, other "interesting" items. On sale, but still kind of expensive.

Pretty things

While I would prefer more bright colors, I think there are some really beautiful dresses in Keemia collection. Especially in the last couple of seasons. Got that from DailyCandy.

Expensive, but Vika likes :)

So, I decided to get that convertible Karanina dress shortened. Took to the tailor today. Will post comparisons after I get it back. I might wear it to the wedding next week after all. I don't remember the last time I took something to the tailor, but is $20 sound reasonable?

For Your Next Party

So do Business School students party as much the second year as the first? Especially once they are engaged? ;)

If so, you might consider featuring this at one of your back to school parties. Looks like fun (and trouble).

Burnt by the Sun

How long can you be out? This gadget is neat.

Youniverse....or another silly online thing.

This was an interesting quiz and I'm not totally opposed to the results.

Condom Pockets

Seriously. Here.

Questions for Vika

I have a lot of questions for you. I just realized people bombarded me with questions that I had no idea what the answers were, but I think a lot of your plans may already be stewing.

1) Are you going to get a wedding dress?
2) Are you going to wear at your destination celebration?
3) Where are we going?
4) Where are you registering?
5) Are you going to start a wedding blog?
6) When are you going to the justice-of-the-peace?
7) Where did you get Rafe's engagement ring?
8) What are your plans for coming up in August?
9) Do you think we'll have time for the 3 of us to do a little bridesmaid dress shopping when you're up here?
10) Do you think we'll have time to do a little bridesmaid dress shopping when I'm in Charlottesville?

I think that's it for now...don't feel the need to answer them all at once. :)

Laser Hair Removal

I feel like we should move this out of Vika's special post on being engaged, so I am transferring everything here.

"Right now I have a laser hair removal appointment Friday afternoon and that is about it. I will go to ballet Thursday night though..."

Tree Branch and Other Centerpieces

Hey, funny, this blogger is in Richmond. Here are some images of the branch centerpieces you were talking about.

And a few other links about the same thing...

Advice on making branch centerpieces
General Floral Centerpiece Ideas
Cheap/DIY Ideas
Tips from Epicurious on Centerpieces
Weak site design/photos, but lots of looks...

My turn to cook

Last night I made this. Followed this recipe for salmon (minus coriander, couldn't find any at the grocery store), although I ended up grilling in a pan vs. on a grill. I also subbed cuscus for rice and added an italian dressing mixed greens salad with tomatoes and grapes. It was delicious!

Gorgeous Fabric

DailyCandy's email featured a company in Brooklyn that makes it fabric by hand. How beautiful is this design?

I have no idea what I would use it for though and likely can't afford it. Wall panels?

Ways to Save on Catering

This article could be useful! My old boss apparently consulted on it. I definitely don't think quality of food should be sacrificed though.

I like how the Practical Wedding blog suggests a funfetti cake. That really is the best ever! It doesn't even really need icing. :)

It's official

Vika's getting hitched.

And we're both wearing engagement rings :)

Asian Touch

I also loved the story one of your blogs linked, Jaime.
I stumbled across this picture. Not sure if it is cheesy or a nice touch, but the picture is neat either way.

Miguelina

I like Miguelina (on Gilt.com). I like the dresses, especially the Jackie dress. But really, no one needs ruffles at their underarms.

BarkObama

How cute is that? And I'm so excited that I'll be able to vote in the next election! Got my voter registration card in the mail a couple of weeks ago! Oh, and! My dad is getting sworn in at the end of this month :) Now, just waiting on Val.

No hablo Ingles...

I just had the most ridiculous phone encounter ever. Rafe and I were trying to find out whether Christian's Pizza on the downtown mall is open today (yes, surprisingly all the restaurants & cafes are closed on Sundays, wtf?) Of course, they don't have a website, so I dial the number. A woman picks up the phone, I say "what are your hours today?" Woman goes, "uhm, ah, uhm... dunno." I'm thinking that it sounds like she didn't understand what I asked because of her limited english, so I try again. "Are you open today?" Simple, right? Again, she goes, "uhm, ah..." silence. I tried one more time with same results, so I tell Rafe to call because he speaks a bit of spanish. He dials, asks in english, gets nothing. Switches to spanish and she tells him they open at 11. OMG! Why, why, why would you let a person who doesn't speak a word of english answer the phones for an establishment???

Dinner tonight

The Cuisinart food processor has officially changed my life. I love it. It's amazing. It was a little tricky to figure out at first, but I downloaded the product manual and that helps. I have the older version of this model. I've decided I definitely want one with an additional 4-cup working bowl.

Last weekend I checked it out for the first time by using the slicer blade to slice potatoes. Got a little excited with that and sliced up about 11 cups of potatoes. Then proceeded to not pay attention to a number of recipes I consulted on how to make homemade potato chips. Let's just say it's really important to soak those suckers in water or you end up with just burnt fried potatoes, not crispy, crunchy potato chips.

I liked it so much I ordered the regular blade and spatula for about $40 total at amazon.com.

This weekend I shredded about 12 cups or so of zucchini for my mom's zucchini bread recipe:

Jaime’s Zucchini Bread by Dinah Small

1 ½ cup of sugar
2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cup self rising flour
1 ½ tsp ginger
1 – ½ teaspoon of pepper
½ tsp. Cloves
1 cup of chopped walnuts
2 cups of shredded zucchini, unpeeled

Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans. Combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl; mix well. Combine flour, ginger, pepper and cloves and add to egg mixture. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake 325 degrees until 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Can also be baked in two spring-form pans, spread cream cheese frosting on top and between layers to make a tasty birthday cake!

I added nutmeg and cinnamon and extra walnuts, cloves, and ginger. I over-processed the walnuts in the food processor and they turned into dust. The bread was still really good, but I wanted something with more crunch. Also, put aluminum foil over the bread before you put it in the oven because the outside tends to get crusty/done before the interior.

Tonight I made this pesto with fresh basil from my CSA program and my own basil plant I bought last weekend. I reduced the recipe by half but doubled the garlic and cheese required. I did happen to have pine nuts on hand as well. It smells MARVELOUS. Am about to cut up some tomatoes to go on it, as well. Note after eating: Damn, that's a lot of garlic. And my tomatoes suck.

And yes, I have cut already myself with the blade already when I took it out of the dishwasher.

Updates

Moving prep has begun. Rafe went to Lowe's today to pick up some bins and shelves. Packers and movers are coming on the 28th to help us. Sigh. Definitely going to miss this apartment. I'm going back and forth on whether I want to sublet my apartment for the 5 months or not. His new place is kind of out there, will probably take about half an hour with morning traffic to get to school... And I like to sleep in until the last moment.

We went to see Dark Knight at midnight last night. It was good! Jaime, take Mike to see it. I'm sad Heath Ledger is no more :( He was really good as the Joker. Computer is finally back up. I got a new hard drive and then had to wait for them to transfer the files off the old one today. It's both nice and frustrating to start from a clean slate. The worst part is all the passwords Firefox was typing in for me. Now I have to remember what the heck they are.

Wow!

I actually like something on Gilt! I think a lot of designer stuff I just don't like; I don't think it's wearable or flattering on me. But actually Alvin Valley's stuff is pretty cool. Maybe it has to do with the price, too...this skirt is only $68. Below is my favorite outfit:

Here's Hoping You Check Your Email Before I Go To Work (As Usual)

Soo I am going to DC tomorrow - leaving at 4:30 on a bus. Friday I'm having lunch at the "hottest" restaurant in town with X.

I don't really want to wear a suit and both times I met her she wasn't dressed in full on business attire. Can I get away with one of the outfits below or should I just go with a skirt suit just to be safe? I feel like black skirt 2 is getting questionably tight.

Also any tips to make me less nervous? What to discuss? I met her working on the X back in October, so she only knows me in that context i.e. list manager extraordinaire, etc.

Computer/Pigeons

I seem to have fixed my computer problem! See I am posting here and on facebook after hours again. I still hope to take everything off and do a fresh install though when Matt is here weekend after next.

I would like to thank Matt for his start at fixing it, Jim for talking me through Spybot, and the internet for offering free programs such as SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition, AVG (Trial), Adaware, Spybot Search and Destroy, and CCleaner. Phew. I spent HOURS running these programs... Ridiculous.

In other news, while the super promised the management company a second time to call an exterminator for the pigeons and to install wire over the air shaft he did not. You can see the extent of the problem below. YUCK. Dirty. Noisy. Inconvenient.

Cupcake debate

According to some NYC does NOT have the best cupcakes. Check this out.

Withdrawal

Sarah, I miss you!

So, we were ready to give up on the 6 month lease and then completely unexpectedly someone told us about a place that's pretty flexible. It's a little bit further away than we wanted but Rafe was able to get a 5 month lease! We didn't even look at the place, ha. I'm going to try to sublet my apartment for the fall semester and that way when he moves up to NYC in January, I won't have to live alone. Oh, and Jaime. The complex has tennis courts, so Rafe and I will practice, be ready to play!

And finally, what do we think of this ensemble by Nino Bauti? I keep going back and forth. I think I like it.

Good Indian restaurant

Anyone know of a good Indian restaurant in NYC? S, I was going to suggest the one we went to but it's too loud, no drinks and not the best for conversation.

Need money for shopping

I think this is a pretty dress by Walter. I wish I had money to shop. It's on sale for $118 on gilt.com

EW! Shoe!

Check this one out. What were they thinking??

2 birds, 1 stone

Buy a Mac, get a free iPod touch. No more virus issues and you can have urbanspoon tell you where to eat. Problem solved. :)

Okay, so you need to be going back to school to qualify. But I'm sure we can find someone to help us out with that.

Sharp objects

This seriously reminds me of that sculpture on top of the Met for some reason. Sarah, you know what I'm talking about?
And this is just seriously atrocious. Who would wear this?

Everything's the same

Doesn't this look just like the clutch I got at MNG in NYC? The colors are a little bit different but the shape is exactly the same. And I paid way way less. In fact, it's on sale on MNG website for a $13.99 now. Here's a pic of it:
It's too bad their stuff doesn't fit that well because they have some cute things on sale.

"Broken" Computer

My computer will not load Google/Gmail and loads other sites slowly. It has turned off autoupdates and I cannot turn them back on. Random pop-ups are occurring. I have an infestation. :(

Just wanted to let you know in case you missed me!

Pig roast...

Is this still happening for the wedding?

Ridiculous

WTF?

Reading...

more here.

Jean butler

I'm not sure how I feel about literally pre-worn jeans... I think I prefer sandpaper... What do ya'll think?

Greetings

These are funny, hehe. Someecards are my favorite though :)

Summer time

I think this Seychelles bikini is adorable! I don't know if that top would stay up for long but sooo cute. It'd look great in aqua too I bet.

I'm in love

iPhone applications went live today. I just downloaded a couple and OMG I'm in love! Sarah, you'd love this one. There's an application called "urbanspoon" and it will figure out your location and if you are indecisive or don't know where to eat, you can just shake your phone and it'll pick for you! If you don't like the choice, you shake it again! Unfortunately Charlottesville is not on the list of cities, but NYC is! And I can't wait to try it out. I'm shaking it right now and it's saying to eat at Pio Pio on 702 Amsterdam Ave. How cool is that??? It even tells you how many people like it, price level and phone number. Ah!

Oh, and pandora is on the iPhone now too! I love listening on my computer, now I can do it on the go! Yay!

Beautiful shoes

How hot are these Alexander McQueen shoes? And how not hot is this price?

And how long have I been waiting for something like this? I totally want that!

Computer Privacy?

Want to be stealthy about computer use at work? Look no further...

OMG cookies

Great article on what makes a great chocolate-chip cookie.

Dining & Wine
Perfection? Hint: It’s Warm and Has a Secret
By DAVID LEITE
Published: July 9, 2008
The recipe for the consummate chocolate chip cookie builds on decades of acquired knowledge, experience and secrets.

Also makes me want to get the cooking/science book mentioned in the article, and I'm sure yall would dig the baking/science book due out this fall.

Yummmm Sweet Treat Trucks!

I love cart food; I think it's such a great idea and would love to try all the yummy gourmet ones someday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09unde.html?ex=1373342400&en=f765bceae6cc3f7e&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Cute?

I kind of like these. The only problem is that it seems they never list dimensions... Or weight. I'd like large cute and light earrings! Why is this so difficult to find?

Starry eyed

Sarah, are you over "star" themed things? Here's a shirt too.

I know ya'll missed me and my links

Cute dress, no? I really like the color and the bust area.

This sort of reminds me of the bracelets L and I got the weekend of her bachelorette party. Granted, the ones we got were leather, but the concept is similar. I wear mine almost every day :)

Another pretty dress. Though I suspect it may be difficult to pull off for someone my height.

Make your own cookbook!

Insanely Intricate, Beautiful Clothes

The folds on look one and two, etc. are so artful.

J - Did you see this website in the links for the person's wedding dress dilemma on 10K wedding? The Symphony & Athena dress are cool from just clicking around. Not so formal or *serious* bride though.

I heart Wall-E!

I saw Wall-E this weekend and loved it. He's so cute, and the story is so adorable, and robots are cool.

The more I think about it, the more I feel that Wall-E is very much Sarah's perfect type.

1) He's smart, kind of.

2) He works hard.

3) He is content to be by himself.

4) He's slightly nerdy.

5) He's happy just holding hands.

6) He is caring.

7) Above all he understands the importance of Directive.

So the only problem is that he's a robot (and a fictional character). See the movie, and let me know what you think!

Pinkberry Substitutes

Tried
Yolato I want to try the non-softserve too. The soft-serve is a cross between Pinkberry and Forty Carrots. They do not have a huge variety toppings though from what I remember
Forty Carrots Chic because it is in Bloomies. Generous servings for the same price. Nice and tangy with topping options.

Need to Try
Kyfotu They have TWO kinds of mochi topping!
Red Mango Seems more natural than Pinkberry

Ooooh....

Internet + scrapbooking/moodboard-making, etc:

Polyvore Fun!!!!

Pineapple Sorbet

Vika, and now, this link is for you! YUM. Wish I had a food processor (for the umpteenth time).

Like Your Jellyfish Pix

Jaime! This guy made me think of you.

The real thing, baby

So I tried to get the pink skin part of her butt, but she wasn't having it. Probably the only way I got this was because she was drinking tuna juice from tuna I had drained for a sandwich. You know you love it!

Wrap it up

I'm so freaking sore from the gym earlier this week that this seems amazing! Anyway, we are off to Phoenix, AZ via Shreveport, LA. I'll try to take pictures along the way to share with ya'll. Have a super 4th of July! S, enjoy Maine!

Cat Butts...

Jaime, this made me think of you :) Because you like cats.

Going green...

This is pretty awesome. You get produce and a garden! Neat! My Farm

Cell Phone

When I somehow broke my phone the weekend before last, I was forced to finally replace it. I have been putting this off as I hate all the Verizon options. I didn't want a slide phone, I didn't want one with a big shiny surface, I didn't really want a full keyboard as it makes the phone larger and I didn't want to pay lots of extra money. I find the "pearl" creepy to touch. I prefer a flip phone. No I can't change service providers... Anyway, my options were limited.

I ended up with this phone, which will ultimately be free. Here are my complaints... It doesn't seem to let me USE speed dial in spite of implementing it, it lags between when I select "send message" and when I can type thus causing way too many blank texts to be sent due to my impatience, it doesn't have T9 that I can figure out, and worst of all it doesn't let you use parentheses so I can't make smiley faces. :(

It does have a better camera than my old phone, but slightly worse battery life, which isn't that big of a deal as I tend to charge nightly anyway.

Is there a better match for me? I only use my phone to talk and text.

HOLY COW!!!

Two of my most favorite things in the world join forces! Tokidoki and Hello Kitty!!!

Missed connections

A couple more links this morning for good measure.

Sarah, have you seen any cute boys anywhere? Maybe you can re-connect with them here.

Trade in your old phone and get cash. Plus, they recycle them.

This seems kind of neat. Find new things to like based on your tastes. Taste Kid.

J, are you going to get deliveries in the winter too? If not, you can grow them instead! AeroGarden 3.

Might want to look into growing you own tomatoes, since the ones in stores are still causing salmonella.

Do you know anything about Wigwam Resort in Phoenix? We're staying there Sunday/Monday this weekend.