"I love those beads..."

So today was Martha day. I woke up at 2am, because who can sleep when you're so excited?

My mom and I left the house at 6:15 to board our train into the city. We would have been one of the first groups in line, but we got distracted following an adorable Shih-Tzu. Anyways, we made it to the line and checked in. All the producers and staff kept commenting on how much they loved our necklaces. Then we went into the "waiting area" where Joey got us psyched about the crafts show and all the giveaways. At this point, the producers told us to hold up our crafts because they wanted to see what everyone brought. Two women came right over to us and started asking me a ton of questions about the necklaces. I gave them a sample one, along with my business card and told them how I donate 10% of my proceeds to the Save the Music Foundation.

From there, they started calling different tickets to line up. We waited and waited for them to call "pink stripes"...at this point there were only about 30 people left in the room, we were sure we were going to have the worst seats in the studio.

Eventually we were called and started making our way behind the scenes. When we got into the studio it was like, holy pink and green, let's just say I was in paradise. The crew were seating groups and they were all lead to the back seats in the studio. Next up: me and my mom. "Oh, you two, come with me..." We followed the woman to the middle of the studio, if she went to the right we were bound for the furthest seats away. But oh no, she went to the left!! She led us to the seats, and we were FRONT ROW AND CENTER.

And finally the show started! Martha came out and was as Martha-like as ever. For those of you that may have watched, you might have heard her say "I love those beads...." Oh yes, she was talking to ME! The show continued, Rosie came out as the guest and she was awesome. Towards the end of the show, Rosie came over to talk to me and my mom (remember: we were right up in front, woohoo!) and she started to comment on how much she liked my necklaces. It went a lil something like this:

Rosie: Your necklaces are great.

Me: Oh, thanks! Do you want one? (thinking if she says yes, she'll probably just give it to her assistant)

Rosie: Sure, why don't you just put it on me now?

And there I was, tying a *jewelry without jewels* necklace around Rosie O' Donnell's neck. She wore it the rest of the show and it looked beautiful. I'll try to get the video and better pictures, but enjoy this one for now:

It was an unbelievable day. My mom and I had a fantastic time and my boyf had an even better time watching it on the DVR over, and over, and over again :)

getting ready...

The outfits are laid out. The necklaces are ready to be worn. We looked at the train sched and we'll be on the 6:37....oh yes, we're ready for MARTHA.

An entire episode devoted to crafts! Everyone in the audience will be crafters of some sort, and Rosie O'Donnell is the guest. Set your DVRs!

hugs,
e

jersey girl

Home in Jersey...enjoying the last few days of vacation. Last week was pretty uneventful. Lots of grad school work and apt. hunting. Let's start off with grad school: I'm on the verge of being burnt out. I LOVE school, but there's so much going on in my life that I really can't justify doing all the work. I was planning on taking another class this summer, but I think I'm going to reward myself with the summer off...allowing me time to move, decorate, go to the beach, concerts, road trips. I think it's going to be a great one :)

Now onto the apartment hunting...we told our realtor that we were going to pass on the unit we had been considering the last 2 weeks (see pictures here) . It just didn't feel right. I can't explain it; it just didn't feel like home. J checked out a new place in Greenwich yesterday morning, and it sounds pretty great. Let's keep our fingers crossed. xx

Yesterday was a "best of both worlds" kinda day...at home with my family and J came to visit. It was a great day :)

...and let's finish this Garden State post with a little bit of husky cheer..GO UCONN!!


Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

I have a music injury.

It's gross, so I won't put up a picture (I haven't taken a picture), but I managed to collapse a mic stand on my finger today while packing up after playing (see E's post below). It wouldn't've been that bad, except I had to play AGAIN at the Sokol Club in Greenwich, which is where you go if you're Slovak and want to drink. So it made sense that they'd be hosting the Sunday Morning Boys, which is who I play with when I, a Jewish guy, play Irish music. It makes sense if you think about it.

Anyway, so the weekend was great, but I didn't come out of it in one piece. Between totally pwning all of Yonkers in pub trivia on Friday night and heading to New Haven for a Saturday afternoon photoshoot, E and I kept coming back to the question of whether we should rent the place that the current tenant has trashed...I trust the owners to fix the holes in the walls, clean the carpets, and paint everything, but there are some skeevey parts I just don't know if I can get past. I'm thinking way too much about it, I'm sure, and I'll go back and forth a hundred times between now and Moving Day, but neither E nor I can really figure it out. Luckily, that's really the only unsettled business we need to deal with for next year, at this point.

Now it's off to sit quietly and just read for a little while until I fall asleep. It's been a great weekend but a long one, and I think I just need some Jeff time. Peace...

Preppy {pink and green} St. Pat's Day

Spent the day at a fun house party in Greenwich. Little kids shakin' their booties to good music on a sunny day is a recipe for good times.

last night

Our original plan was to go into the city and see Richard Buckner at the Mercury Lounge. WELL, we discovered at about 3pm, that he wasn't going on until about 11:30pm. Yeah, not so much.

So we discussed our options over dinner at an awesome mex restaurant in Port Chester. A local show? Nah. Downtown Stamford? Nope. TRIVIA? Yes! We went back to J's apartment and looked for any local trivia that night. We had pretty much lost hope when we came across a website that advertised trivia, Friday nights, in Yonkers (?!). We texted some friends, and the common reply was: "Yonkers...really?" So J and I went by ourselves to this little Irish pub called Katie's Cottage. We pretty much cleaned up. Now, I have to admit, the questions were PRETTY easy. But we totally won and had a great time. Sometimes the most spontaneous nights end up being the best!

Where you'll find me today? At my dining room table doing work, and the gym. FUN IS. Tonight we're off to the Acoustic Cafe to see Andrew Hoover and Tony Lucca. And then, tomorrow is the Greenwich St. Pat's Day bonanza. Complete with a house party, parade, and bar-time afterwards. I'll even get to hear these guys for the first time :)


Happy Spring!
E

what an interesting day...

1. I took Jeff to the hospital to get his procedure* done

2. While at the hospital, I managed to schmooze up the gift store owners and they decided to buy a dozen of my necklaces. So for all you local folk, *jewelry without jewels* will now be sold next to the Lilly Pulitzer display at Norwalk Hospital. Random much?

3. New updates on the quarter life crisis front. Gonna leave it at that for now, but stay tuned...

4. PHISH added more summer tour dates. Haaaallelujah.

Let's see what day 3 of vacation has to bring!

smiles & hugs,
e


*procedure: cameras up funky places. talk to j for more details, he even has pictures.

puppy love

I'm home...attempting to do the work I should have been doing all weekend...but instead I'm looking for puppy breeders. I just contacted two: a goldendoodle breeder in NJ, and a labradoodle breeder in CT.
Don't these little pups just melt your heart?

(2 of the puppies that have recently been sold by the CT breeder)

The great name debate is still ongoing, but we're going to keep it a secret for now..:)

weekend recap

I can't believe it's already 5:30 on a Sunday evening. Where did the weekend go? Luckily, I'm not in "Oh my goodness, it's Sunday, and I've done nothing all weekend" mode. I have a bunch of grad work that's due on Tuesday, but that's what tomorrow's for :)

Last night I drove up to New Haven with Jeff and Pete to celebrate Cassie's birthday. I love my old coworkers, and it's so nice to catch up with them. New Haven was interesting. Only 45 minutes away, but a totally different world. I'll stick with Fairfield County, kthanks.



This morning we went with our realtor to check out a new apartment that isn't even on the market yet. It's in the complex we like, at a reasonable cost, is exactly the right size, AND will let us have a dog. Trying to work out a few little things, but we'll see how it goes.
What do you think?

living room

kitchen

dining room

downstairs half bath (plus the flower power wallpaper)

easy like saturday morning

laundry by shelli segal "medallion daisy" dress

I need this. Strike that-- I want this. Not cheap, but ADORABLE.
Operation: stay away from the dept. store is in full effect.
xo,
E

home goods

Only 2 1/2 more months until moving day! I'm trying my best not to buy anything for the new place until we're in and settled, but c'mon...anyone who knows me knows that I love design and decorating. So let's just say that I happened to stop by Home Goods and just happened to find really cute throw pillows. I don't think any of you would judge, right? ;)

We got word from realtor, JB, that a new place opened up in the complex we like--maybe we'll see it this weekend?

PS. ONE more day until 2 week vaca!!

Who watches the Watchmen? Erica. That's who.

Who watches the Watchmen? Erica. That's who.
Originally uploaded by One Ping Only

It's been a while, I know. But after a packed weekend (which didn't, despite the title of this post, involve any loved/hated superhero movies), I've been buried in this paper for my 19th Century British Women Novelists class.

I dug out just in time for a marathon Sunday Morning Boys rehearsal last night to get ready for tomorrow afternoon's happy hour performance. Then it'll be off to shul for my grandma's yarzheit. Saturday'll be a work day, followed by a partay in the Elm City, and who knows what Sunday will bring.

I'm trying hard not to think about next Tuesday, though I think that even though it's not gonna be fun, it'll be nice if the docs can actually find something wrong with me that's treatable. Also, I've been off coffee since the beginning of February, when my stomach started acting up, and I'm really looking forward to having some again.

we're going to MARTHA!!

That's right, folks...my mom and I are going to the special Martha Stewart crafts show at the end of March! I got the e-mail during class last night and I think I might have OMG'd out loud. Straight from the e-mail:

SPECIAL AUDIENCE THEME: Craft Show!!! This show is ALL about crafting!! Our audience will be filled with crafters that love to rubber stamp, scrapbook, make jewelry and much more! Martha loves audience participation so our Producers have asked that you and your guest(s) bring your favorite HOMEMADE craft with you on show day!

Really. First hearing back from the people at O Magazine, and now this?? Wait. I don't think I've updated the latest on the Oprah front-- friend of a friend went back to work, told the product department about my necklaces, and they LOVED them. They won't be reviewing new things for another 2 months, but once they do, my necklaces will be in the mix!

Only 2 more days until my two week vaca. O Happy Wednesday :)
xo,
E

sun is shining, weather is sweet

...and we're off! We kicked off the jam packed weekend yesterday afternoon, with a little happy hour action downtown. Had a few beers, did a little schmoozing with the HS coworkers. Afterwards we grabbed a quick bite at My Favorite Place which totally lived up to its name. The place was packed with my type of people (aka 4 feet tall kiddos), but the food was awesome--if you're local, I'd definitely recommend it. We then headed over to the senior show which was fun. Not-so-great singing and dancing, drunk HS kids in the audience, who could ask for anything more? ;) Last stop of the night was T's bday bonanza. Original plan was to meet up with everyone at 1020 Post Road in Darien, but it was the kind of night where the wine was flowing and everyone was just having a great time at the house. AND, one of T's friends works in the art department at O Magazine and is really close with Gayle King (aka Oprah's BFF), I told her about my jewelry business and she was really interested in it and said she'd pass on all the info. I almost died. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Speaking of my jewelry, I had the best time at the Greenwich Y on Thursday,and sold a good amount of pieces. Days like that really make me consider doing this full time. I really love meeting and talking to different people and creating beautiful pieces of jewelry that are affordable and unique.
I hope you're all out enjoying this beee-autiful weather! I'll be spending the day hiking, fabric stor-ing, and then ridiculous house party with good friends tonight :) xo, E

photo flashback Friday

....in like a lion

My wish for the snow day AND delay was granted...can I get a hoorah?? It's amazing how much stuff can get done on a snow day. I cleaned the apartment, ordered prints off my digital camera from walmart.com, made some good meals, and watched Vicky Christina Barcelona. It was a nice, peaceful day at home with J and my roommates.

So now here we are, already Wednesday (!), and I'm looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm heading to the Y to sell some necklaces. Speaking of necklaces, there are talks of a new *jewelry without jewels* website, so stay tuned! I'm not sure what I'm doing on Friday. I was supposed to be going to a independent school job fair, however I'm not sure if it will be worthwhile. I only have an interview scheduled for a school in NJ, and considering that it would be an hour and a half commute...I don't think it's worth traveling to the city just for this one interview. I've heard from a lot of coworkers that the interviews are scheduled right at the fair, and I know many people that have found jobs from going to these types of things. We'll see...

Readers, brace yourselves....on Saturday I am going hiking. Yes, that's right...moi. It's supposed to be beautiful outside, and I know J has been wanting to go for awhile. I'm actually really excited about it :) We also have birthday festivites and house parties to attend. So much to do, so little time...

Snowed in

Even though I'm pretty much over winter, snow, slush, and being cold, it was nice to get nearly a foot of snow today. I guess this is what New England is supposed to be like--quiet, still, pretty much traffic-free (people aren't even going to the strip malls here in Stamford, which is probably a first). All I need is a horse-drawn sleigh and some wood to chop and I'll be all set.
Instead, my most manly adventure of the day came when E and I went out to get the snow off my car. Waiting until after dark is never a good idea, and even though I'm sure there'll be more snow on the car when I leave, at least the bulk of it is gone.
I'm more than a little disappointed with myself, though, because I had a whole list of things I wanted to get done today, and here it is four o'clock and all I've done is post my reaction to the first nine chapters of Wuthering Heights and add more minutes to my cell phone plan. I still need to watch Under the Same Moon, come up with the writing assignment for my ENG300 kids, figure out what I'm doing with my classes tomorrow, etc.
In other news, my stomach is totally back to normal. The doc's office called me on Friday night to tell me that he wanted to see me on Monday (today), but with the snow and everything, I'm not going til Wednesday. Hopefully he'll tell me that it's okay to eat vegetables again, so maybe I can have some energy back. Can't figure out why they would call me for an appointment, but whatever. I can't worry about it too much, can I?

what i did on my snow day...

made on BeFunky!

sunday funday!

Did someone say snow?? I really don't think there's anything better than a snow day on a Monday. After looking at apartments this morning, J and I stocked up on some goodies and are getting ready for the storm. If we do get snow (fingers crossed), my short week will get even shorter. A lil' something like this:
Monday...snow day
Tuesday...delay (aka wishful thinking), no grad class
Wednesday....normal
Thursday...school until 12, and then off to the Greenwich YWCA to sell my jewelry (stop by :)
Friday...job fair in NYC

Anywho, a little weekend recap...Thursday night I went to the most adorable coffee shop (SoNo Caffeine) with some friends to see Vanessa Kafka perform. We went to school with her, and she's trying out the music thing part-time. Friday night was low-key and quiet, definitely a good way to end a busy week. I met my mom half-way yesterday afternoon for some shopping and lunch, which (of course) is always a great time. We hit up Xmas Tree Shop, Marshalls, Target...you name it, we were there. Really excited about these candles I picked up at Marshalls:

Everything I love: paisley design, elephant with its trunk up, candles

Then last night we went out downtown with my roommates and some friends. 80s night=good times. And there seemed to be lots of guys trying to steal Jeff's look last night:

I told J that he should be friends with them, but according to him, there can only be one guy with a beard in a group. What-ev-er.

And that brings us to Sunday! We're hanging out, waiting for the snow, and probably eating snacks. Hope you all had a great weekend too :)