Peanutbutter Pandemonium

This post's title is named after the Steward's ice cream flavor I had on the way home from my adventures this weekend with my adventure-er in crime Maria and I find it very fitting to describe my mind after the bombardment of art classics. We traveled over into the Berkshire mountains and somehow ended up in Impressionist Paris! The Sterling and Francine Clark Institute (aka The Clark) acts as a wormhole between here and France and if you stand long enough in front of Giovanni Boldini's art and squint in just the right light, you risk never returning.

The Spectrum

This post is dedicated to my good friend Claire who has inspired me to look for art dans la rue:

Cover Me

Shape Your Life

An interesting look at the work of Frank Lloyd Wright at the Guggenheim Museum

telephone

whatever happened

to the corded telephone?

now we just have this:

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Whishy Washy Saturdays

I honestly couldn't complain. What 22 (and a half!) year old wouldn't love to have her nights and weekends free from the drudgery of work? I've been filling my time with book and movies (including an afternoon viewing of Date Night, which was hilarious despite the fact that there were only two of us laughing out loud--Americans are such inner-laughers, if laughers at all) But you know what they say about idle hands....

...they tend to bake cookies. and that my friends will make me fat. So I hope you will all enjoy the new plump me. It the meantime, enjoy photos of my early days in albany, when it wasn't so laborious to find labor positions.

Haiku Tuesdays

Along with practicing my Downward-facing-dog I thought I could make a new Haiku every Tuesday. I tried writing one everyday while I was in Italy, but that quickly deteriorated, once a week seems less intimidating... Feel inspired? Leave a Haiku comment!

drinking sweet red wine

will make us miss the theater

but its so worth it.

my mind is broken

it thinks only the same thoughts:

sleep, eat and repeat

why do people live

in places that are so cold

icicle fingers

plastic grocery bags

do you know that i hate you?

you are every where.

Marilyn monroe

how do you like them apples?

i think they're bitter

I think i want it

to be alone with my thoughts

but thats not the truth.

la mia testa

e` piena con frasi

che non fa senso!

BUNNIES!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter weekend filled with brightly colored peeps, sunshine and plenty of chocolate bunnies! I had all of these and more spending the weekend with my 'foster' family, the Dirolfs. With adorable care bear bedsheets, a seemingly endless table filled with 'new cousins' and an evening laughing at John Cleese in Fawlty Towers I instantly felt at home. If you're like me and away for the holidays listen to Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros and sing it loud: Home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKuB85EgnI

Panorama Bonanza

I just spent a very amusing half hour figuring out my new Panorama Maker. It's stitches photos together like magic and even though you can edit the borders for a smooth finish I actually prefer the collage look the black background gives. The first view is Lake Champlain in Burlington, VT and the second is on a trail at Five Rivers in Delmar, NY

Tea Biscuits

I've been trying to get back in the swing of things after my much needed and glorious Spring Break in Burlington. There's nothing good food, friends and some mountains wont cure I'm convinced. In an attempt to help motivate myself I tried bribing with tea biscuits. I was suppose to reward myself after finishing a To-Do on my list but slowly found myself taking them in advance and "promising" to do it later seeing as now I was obligated having eaten the reward. Instead I just ate a lot of them and had a tummy ache and a long To-Do list staring back at me. At least now I can cross off Update Blog and feel a little less remorse.

Happy Birthday Maria!

To celebrate Maria's 23rd we traveled to Deutschland for a pint of the best brew around. The beirgarten was a magical land with mountains of peanuts, papermache trees and antler lighting fixtures. Not to mention you can drink out of your shoes (with a little practice of course)

A Matter of Loaf and Death

I'm not sure I have to explain my Love of Wallace and Gromit short films. The animation is simply stunning and Wallace's quaint British-isms and obsession with cheese lets you instantly forgive his lapses of judgment. See for youself:

http://vimeo.com/9985537

Hockey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qovo61G9GOU

EarWorm

I have fond memories of walking to my class through italian cobblestones while my German friend Christian explained "EarWorm" to me. The phrase has forever stuck in my mine, much as the name implies, the EarWorm crawls into your ear and sings one song over and over. Although that sounds slightly creepy I like to think of the EarWorm whenever a new song gets stuck in my head or when I miss a piece of conversation because of it, blame it on the EarWorm, its not my fault!

Siamo in Arrivi a New Paltz!

I knew I had to get out of the house this weekend. Cabin fever was definitely setting in and I need a sure fix, a visit to New Paltz, NY where my belle amiche that I met in Urbino, Italy go to school. There with snowtubing at Sawkill, hot chocolate, soup, pastries, vino bianco, a scrumptious dinner, and a taste of the NP nightlife my fever finally broke and I was ready to face another week of the grind. It's great to know that just an hour down the thruway lies my avenue for adventure!

If I Can Make Bagels, I Can Do Anything!

Four years ago my Memere cut out a newspaper clipping of a bagel recipe and sent it along with her monthly letter. I have since had it in my mind to bake my own bagels. Instead over the last four years I've simply memorized the faces of the engaged couples on the opposite side. I decided recently in a symbolic gesture that to really take hold of my life I had to quite making excuses about time and ingredients and go ahead and make the darn bagels. And I'm so happy I did because not only was it fun and delicious but I got the satisfaction of know that it's never too late to do the things you should have done. And who knows, maybe some day I'll open a bagel shop (at the very least I can always impress my friends at breakfast). What's your favorite flavor?

La Vie En Rose

I just finished a cloudy Saturday afternoon in Paris with Edith Piaf. Her voice made me love her and it was hard to watch her slowly destroy herself and her gifts. The imagery, fashion and use of music for telling her life story is exquisite, you wont regret watching La Vie En Rose. The song Non, je ne regrette rien "No, I regret nothing: strongly portrays the fortitude and zest Edith summons up towards the end of her life. Watch her 1961 performance and be amazed!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFRuLFR91e4

Washington the Tiger and Saint Valentine got to the Mardi Gras Parade and left with Ashes.

This weekend has been a whirlwind of little known holidays and the big commercial giant, Valentine's Day. For my handsome boyfriend I crafted a pop-up card inspired by my friend Maria's make-up case from Sephora. Since Alice in Wonderland is his favorite book I figured it was kismet. It was a tricky business but I had fun recreating the Lewis Carroll characters.

From the rabbit hole we toured the strange adventures that Albany, NY has to hold. It was impossible to pass Washinton Park without stopping to skate infront of the beautiful theatre house. Good thing I always keep (forget) my skates in the backseat of my car. It was a very classic 'goodoldtime' way to pass the afternoon with the sun just peaking out of the snowy sky. The rest of the after noon was spent in the NY State Museum which is quite large and windy and filled with slightly creepy mannequins representing the industrial history of my new state. Some gems are the found hidden on the fourth floor, the antique carousel and the rocketcar, two must-sees.

High Peril

There will always be a special place in my heart for Saturday mornings. As a kid that mean cartoons and an escape from grueling academics. That's way I was ecstatic this weekend when I relived that feeling through the Republic Serial King of Rocket Men, a series with 12 episodes, 12 cliffhangers and countless fist-brawls between fight-savvy scientist and fedora sporting crooks. The evil dooer, Dr Vulcan is one of the Science Associates members and succeeds in killing off a lot of main characters even with the constant efforts of Rocketman! Spoiler Alert: even as Rocketman fights his final battle New York City still crumbles to the ground, a bitter ending to a terrific Saturday.