The Big Halloween Bake-Off

Okay, I'm off to Connecticut for the big bake-off!

My sister had a play date scheduled at her house tomorrow morning, so instead of just Nora and I baking, there will be five two-year-olds helping me!

This should be fun.

Karyn Loves Artanker

You have to watch this video I found via Curbed. It totally seems like something you'd see on SNL, like the guy in it would be played by Will Ferrell.

His name is Artanker and he's a musician and an "interloper."

in·ter·lop·er (ĭn'tər-lō'pər)
noun

1. One that interferes with the affairs of others, often for selfish reasons; a meddler.
2. One that intrudes in a place, situation, or activity.

I need to go to Kensington and meet him.


UPDATE: I can't get enough of Artanker. I love him. I found his MySpace page and you'll never guess what was on it... an extended version of the above video:

His voice is so soothing. He needs to come out with a meditation CD of some kind. Or maybe a hynosis CD. He could help people stop smoking.

Oh, California!

These fires are just terrible.

Please stay safe!

Halloween Treats

I had so much fun cooking dinner at Mark and David's house in LA and blogging about it (read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) that I've decided to do the same thing again this Friday but with Halloween treats of some kind.

I'll be at my sister's house in Connecticut for the big Halloween parade on Saturday (Nora's going to be a princess, and Jack, a dragon), so I'll have a normal kitchen to cook in, unlike the tiny one in my apartment.

Right now I'm thinking of making frosted sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins and cats, but that's not very exciting, so if anyone has any other ideas, let me know! I'm looking for treats that a two-year-old can help make. (Things with sprinkles and frosting!)

Anyway, please send me your suggestions and then tune in on Friday! I'll document the process again, from shopping to eating, but this time it will be more fun because this two-year-old will be helping:

Nora at the Minnesota State Fair

Pumpkin Faces

I took this picture in Brooklyn Heights yesterday. I thought the pumpkins were carved, but they weren't.

Georgia Rule

Okay, don't lash out at me...

but I just watched Georgia Rule...

and it wasn't that bad.

I mean, something was definitely very off about it, but I can't figure out what it was. The writing was pretty good... so maybe it was the acting. Or it could've just been the timing, which might mean it was directing.

I guess the reason I'm writing this is because I'm learning something about myself. As soon as someone becomes the underdog and has the cards stacked against them, I go soft and begin to root for them. With regards to this movie, I'm talking about Lindsay Lohan. She was pretty much blamed for this flop, but two other actresses were standing right beside her (Academy Award-winning, nonetheless) and they should be held just as responsible. (And let's not forget a director with a great track record.)

I'm not saying Lindsay Lohan's performance was amazing by any means. If you imagine a young Julia Roberts spewing out her lines, with all of her red-headed attitude and genuine vulnerability, you can envision how great it could've been. But I also didn't buy any of Jane Fonda's "Georgia rule-Jesus" crap. It just wasn't believable, not coming from her. As for Felicity Huffman, she had one or two good scenes, but the rest were forgettable. In fact, the cheesiest scene in this movie (in my opinion) was one at the end with her and her husband, a scene in which neither Lindsay Lohan or Jane Fonda appeared.

I don't know... maybe the story is the reason it flopped. It's kinda screwed up. It has to do with incest but it's also kind of a comedy, which is weird.

All I'm saying is that, in all fairness, it's wrong to blame this failure alone on LiLo alone. I mean, you always hear about this movie, and the one thing people seem to say about it is that she's the one who fucked it up. To repeat what I mentioned above, maybe the reason I'm going soft on her is because people are ripping on her now and saying her career is over, but I can see see glimpses of greatness in this movie that were never fully actualized on screen and I don't think it's entirely her fault.

If you've seen this movie, I'm interested to hear your thoughts. If you haven't, spend the $4 to rent it and let me know what you think.

PS - Two favorite lines...

"For a smart girl, you're good at dumb."

and

"I'm gonna go buy booze, busy budy."

Special Fast Eddie

My friend Tracy has a dog that's a Pekingese/Chihuahua mix named Edgar. I like to call Edgar "Special Eddie" because he looks... well...


Special.

Tracy doesn't like the nickname "Special Eddie," however, so for the purposes of this post I'm going to call Edgar by his other nickname, "Fast Eddie."

Special Fast Eddie happens to have the same birthday as Beverly, so Tracy had a little party for him at work. In addition to pulling out the ole chocolate fountain for her co-workers...


...she got a cake and candle for Fast Eddie.


When I saw the pictures from Fast Eddie's celebration, I had to laugh because Beverly got something a little different for her birthday.

For Bev's big day I let her pick out a treat from a cute little place in the hood called Monster Mutt.



Of all the things in the store, of all the treats and toys, do you wanna know what she picked?


A bully stick.

My sister had no idea what a bully stick was when I told her, and was horrified to find out. If you don't know what one is and are curious, click here for a brief explanation.

Now regain your composure.

Breathe.

It'll be okay, really.

And back to the story...

I don't let Beverly have bully sticks very often because, in addition to them being plain gross, they REEK. She gets muck all over her face when she eats them and the only way to get rid of it and the smell that accompanies it is to give her a bath. So it's kind of a pain-in-the-arse treat. She really enjoyed it though...


Anyway, that's my story. Before I go, though, a message to Tracy:

Tracy, I know you're sensitive about people making fun of the Ed, so I'd like to take this time to say... You know I love you. And you know I love the Ed. And you know I love the Ed's buggy eyes. And crooked teeth. And big ears.

Ed's like the fox and rose in The Little Prince. The little prince thought the fox and rose were like every other fox and rose until he tamed and cared for them. Once he got to know them, he realized they were unique in all the world. He learned...

"On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux."

Or, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."

No matter what anyone says about Fast Eddie (including me!), you know how beautiful he is. To know Eddie is to love Eddie. As people get to know him, they realize this.

Okay, bye for now!


PS - I'm sorry that a post about bully sticks turned into me quoting a much beloved children's book.

The House That Punk'd Built

I was at the doctor's office yesterday thumbing through magazines (I'm all healthy, thanks) when I stumbled upon the March 2007 issue of Architectural Digest which featured pictures of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher's Beverly Hills home.

Um... can you say gorgeous?

I've posted a couple pictures from the issue below, but to see the rest, visit Architectural Digest's website. Once you register (it's free), log in and click this link:

The House That Punk'd Built

I love houses that make you feel like you're outside when you're inside, that bring nature in, make it part of the decor.

Random story... When I was maybe 14 years old, I used to subscribe to Architectural Digest. I wanted to be an interior designer or an architect when I grew up, and I loved the magazine, loved the houses inside.

At the end of each issue they usually listed a bunch of multi-million dollar houses for sale, and most of them had addresses that you could write to to request more information, so I did.

After a while, I started getting all sorts of huge color brochures and booklets in the mail, complete with floor plans, etc. I used to imagine that I lived in each house and would "decorate" all the rooms with stuff I found in the Spiegel catalog. (Ha ha... like you'd ever decorate houses like these with stuff from a Spiegel catalog.) I took all this very seriously, like I'd make lists of everything I needed, add it up, and then block out where everything would go on paper.

Anyway, I must've listed my phone number on one of the request forms, because someone called my house one day to follow-up, thinking I was an interested buyer. My step-dad answered the phone and ended up telling them I was in high school. I was so mortified. I mean, when you're that age, pretty much everything embarrasses you. I thought I was going to be blackballed from the decorating world.

Anyway... that's a dumb, silly story, but I just remembered it and wanted to share it with you.

Superficial

My friend made this video. I told him I'd link to it.

Superficial

The Britney line makes me ache, but otherwise it's funny.

UPDATE: The video made it to the front page of Heavy.com as a featured video. Yay nameless friend!

Oh Great...

Prices just went up.

Halloween

I'm trying to decide what to be for Halloween.

I haven't dressed up in the past few years, but this year I'm going to the Ryan Adams show at Hammerstein Ballroom and I'll probably go out afterwards so I kind of want to. But since the concert will most likely be mellow, I don't want to go crazy or anything. I mean, I'm not going to a Scissor Sisters concert, you know what I mean? Singing along to lyrics like, "I taught myself how to grow, and now I'm crooked on the outside and the inside's broke..." while dressed up as Wonder Woman would be kinda weird.

I suppose I could get all glammed up, wear a sassy outfit of some kind, big fake eye lashes and some glittery shadow. Or I could go all hippie, wear a bunch of beads and put braids and sh*t in my hair.

Any suggestions?

Beverly's Birthday Song

Someone very special just called and sang "Happy Birthday" to Beverly.

(For those of you who don't know, Nora is my two-year-old niece. I talk about her all the time.)

Love. This. Dress.

Jennifer Connelly at Elle magazine's Women In Hollywood tribute.


It reminds me of a lovely brand named Milly that a fabulous lil boutique in my neighborhood carries. (Diane T. - If you're ever in Cobble Hill, you must go.) Every time I swoon over something there, it's usually Milly.

Some good Milly...

If I were skinny and rich, I'd wear Milly every day.

PS - I don't like Jennifer Connelly's shoes, though. They don't go... right? I'd wear something silver.

There Might've Been A Better Way To Ask That

I'm watching Meredith Viera interview Jake Gyllenhaal on the Today show right now.

Jake said he likes to be in movies that have a heart, which prompted Meredith to say, "Talk about movies with a heart... Brokeback Mountain. Did you have any idea when you were making that what you were sitting on?"

Oh, Meredith!

It's That Time Of Year Again

Today is Beverly's birthday! She's five years old.

I feel like a bad mommy because I never announced Elvis' birthday, but I don't really know when it is because he's a bush cat. Maybe in August sometime? He's twelve.

Anyway, please wish Beverly a happy birthday and please wish Elvis a happy belated birthday. I tried to get them to sit next to each other to take a picture. Didn't work so well.