list queen

For me, there are few things more satisfying than making a list and checking it off. This is getting a little ridiculous, though!

something silly

Per usual, I'm frantic trying to get everything done before I leave for Nicaragua this Sunday. In the meantime, I thought I'd post something ridiculous. Riddle me this: Is there anything cuter than boys and their pets? Here's Erik and Dap with their respective furballs. (Dap is a video editor, and he and his cat work side-by-side all day. Adorable.) By the way, I fully realize that my last three posts have been feline-related. I promise to stop being a crazy cat lady when I get back from vacation.

city of dreams

World, meet Clarence. He's a giant lucky cat that's going to hang out in Erik's new store in the Lower East Side. It's kind of amazing how much Erik has achieved in the past decade: After dropping out of art school, he basically taught himself design programs while waiting tables and passing out flyers (and living in a shower-less loft). And now he's a staple of Manhattan's streetwear/music scene and, in his words, "an OG in the game." That got me thinking about how far I've come as well. When I moved to NYC in 2001, I didn't know a single soul. Not one! To make matters worse, it was also a few weeks shy of September 11th, which cast a dark cloud over the city. I remember walking home from work that horrible day, seeing friends and families huddled together, and crying on my creaky futon. I soon learned that there are few things more lonely than being all by yourself in a city full of people. There were a lot of tears my first six months in the Big Apple, and I was so miserable that I seriously considered moving back home. But my stubbornness willed me to stick it out, and I'm thankful I did. I eventually landed some terrific friends, an exciting career, and my true love. Of course, my life now isn't always perfect, but when I think back to those rough days, I'm so grateful for how much I've achieved.

6 things...

...I did this week.

1. Roasted a chicken with this recipe. You need to make this ASAP, and then use the leftovers to whip up a pot pie from scratch. I felt like the Barefoot Countessa herself.
2. Gave my self a summer (spring?) Friday, walked into Manhattan, and shopped at Trader Joe's. Love!
3. Bought my and my parents' plane tickets for my brother's wedding. I also have to go down to North Carolina beforehand to help them find their outfits in time to get them tailored. This Chinese daughter thing is no joke. Good thing I love them so much.
4. Got two giant plastic adirondack chairs and a side table from K-Mart in Manhattan...and proceeded to carry them on the subway home. My frugalness is out of control sometimes. On the upside, a lot of sweet strangers offered to help me as I was struggling on the train. I heart New York.
5. Had dinner with friends two nights this week (including at this scrumptious restaurant), but otherwise, holed up and worked like a maniac. Have to wrap everything up before vaca. Volcano-boarding, here I come.
6. Freaked out over my beautiful friend's engagement. I couldn't be more thrilled. Yayayay!

office space

My new desk came! I was tempted to get the lovely, pricier version from West Elm, but wound up buying the cheap knock-off from Home Decorators. I think it turned out nice, though. I also got the tack board from them (still need to hang it) and the awesome file organizer from the Container Store. All I need is a simple lamp. Maybe a splash of color? Or a standard pewter one? Anyway, my little office is so nice and peaceful...and then I turn around and see Erik's desk. His workspace makes me wants to break out into hives. They totally sum up our personalities!

little letters

Dear man behind me in photo above,
Really? Did you run all 13.1 miles with a face mask and Superman cape? I'm impressed.

Dear woman with blown-out hair and no ponytail,
Thanks for being so fast in the half-marathon. Your shiny, perfect locks whipping around in the wind inspired me to push myself to keep up.

Dear Brooklyn,
Why are there so many people on your streets at 2 PM? Are there that many people who don't work day jobs like me? I guess so.

Dear Google Phone,
You've saved me from a sky-high AT&T bill. Bless you.

Dear childhood,
Even though we went through some rough times, thanks for making me the person I am today. You taught me to trust in myself and make things happen and, for that, I'm so grateful.

sheer willpower

Remember how I said that I had fallen off my half-marathon training plan? Well, today was judgement day! I have to confess that I was more than a little nervous this morning. I hate doing anything half-assed. And since I barely ran in the past two weeks, thanks to deadlines and a cold, I knew that this wasn't going to be my best performance. But instead of adopting an all-or-nothing attitude, I decided to make this race about enjoying the experience. There's something so amazing about waking up at the crack of dawn (with the super-moon still out!) and shivering in the start corrals with thousands of people of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds. So I fought my natural instinct to track my pace and took the time to soak up the scenery as I ran through Central Park and past the giant buildings of Times Square (one of my favorite NYC memories to date!). Even though the last three miles down the West Side Highway were a little stretch of hell, I let my determination take over and forced myself to jog until the very end. And you know what? I did surprisingly well—finished in 1:52:55, just shy of my personal record of 1:52:48. I'm chalking this one up to sheer willpower. It's incredible how far that can take you!