Wednesday, September 28, 2011

the breakfast experience


near our office is a full service deli/restaurant/catering business.  excellent [though a little pricey] food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  this morning i stopped in to grab a bacon/egg/cheese croissant in the hopes of staving off another shitty shitty day.  so far it has worked.  here was my exchange:

me-walking up to line to pay for my croissant sandwich, turkey wrap [for lunch-pictured above]; i grabbed a bag of chips

old guy: WHOA you kinda crept up there on me
me: uh sorry
old guy: didnt even hear you until you crinkled those chips.  all stealth-like
me: uh yup


me-dropped bag of chips cos im awesome, then bent down to get them
old guy-does old man heave trying to help me with chips
me-placed chips back on counter before old guy reaches floor

old guy: whoa youre a fast one there
me: kinda..
old guy: what are you 25?
me: yup
old guy: wow.  young and fast
me: umm k bye

usually when people try and make small talk just for the sake of hearing their own dribble it annoys me.  today however, it was pretty hilarious and all i could do not to straight up laugh at the guy.

and the croissant was DELICIOUS

*edit* the pinwheels were lacking but i will definitely attempt the sliced turkey-slaw-rollup idea in the future.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

rocky point pine barrens

my two favorite pictures from what turned into more of a nature photoshoot than a healthy walk.  [click to enlarge]

Saturday, September 24, 2011

liz's laundry

  • jacket: ny&co
  • tshirt: bought by the sis in germany [it says i <3 doner kebabs]
  • skirt: tulle
  • boots: steve madden
  • tank: mandee
  • skirt: glassons
  • matchy matchy scarf: thrifted
  • jewelry: see below
plastic bracelet-forever 21, cotton bracelet-cheap tacky jewelry boutique, cocktail bracelet and glass necklace-indian imports shop, plastic teddy bear bracelet-childhood dress up

Monday, September 19, 2011

wine tour photos

these are all on the ubiquitous facebook.  along with a bunch of group pics, posed shots, and drunkards.  but thats par for a wine tour no?
purses and glasses waiting at a picnic table at baiting hollow.  no good horsey close ups, but we did almost witness a stallion fight..
long island's first potato vodka distillery.  and only i would assume. but one never knows.  and i guess they dont grow potatoes every year as our visit culminated in some glamour shots on a deck overlooking abandoned turned out fields.  loverly.
the bottling room at palmer vineyard.  looks a bit like an industrial milker.. but supposedly it corks in the tasty. 
a quote worthy of some wines.  others are bottled sour pain.  and/or the asian flush.  but im sure some consist of poetry.  or cause people to think they speak in poetic utterances.
tasting flights.  the "summer sweet selection" gewurztraminer, lighthouse white, and sunrise sunset.  oh the inspiration...
grapes at vineyard 48.  these idyllic rows cant begin to convey the lovely/trashy dj playing bad 90s hits in attempt at making girls in stilettos shake it on a gravel dance floor. 
so peaceful looking fading off into the horizon

liz's laundry

it appears fall is finally here!  no more sweating as soon as you even consider glancing outside.  less giant hair days.  no need for adding shorts under dresses and slips to avoid chub rub.  a time of year i actually consider exercising outdoors.  and layering.  with my many coats!  hopefully we have more fall that we did spring this year.  ie not the reverse of our 30 degree to 90 degree weather shift.  50-60 is about perfect!  still sandal weather, but with jeans and hoodies or skinny pants and 3 shirts.  brilliant!
  • shirt: esprit
  • shorts: ny&co
  • sweater: hand-me-down from the sister
  • necklace: kenneth cole
  • magenta [not red] tank top: target
  • skirt: thrifted
  • belt: glassons
  • top: thrifted
  • pants: h&m
and yes i wore pigtails!  french braided pigtails!  and damn my scalp is pale.  clearly i never part my hair back there. 

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

instead of thesis..

how about sewing?  yes please.  for about an hour and a half.
cut from semi-stretchy cotton shirting.  basic pattern made from this dress and then cut short.  it looks a bit like a nightshirt, but ..oh well.
close up of ruffle front and bias tape vneck.  that whole bit took about 45 minutes.  the rest of the dress from fabric cutting to hemming the bottom took about the same amount of time.  bias tape cutting from fabric with straight lines = frikkin awesome.

fin.

Monday, September 12, 2011

oas 46

the roommate and i attended what we assumed was a high class art show/market.  the hosting gallery has some pretty decent exhibits and talented artists.  from the event website: 
Over 135 exhibitors from the east coast will be displaying and selling paintings, works on paper, sculpture and photography, as well as jewelry, and crafts in ceramics, wood, glass, fiber and other media.
welp.  yes, there were vendors selling all that.  and to put it as my roommate did, there were also vendors who were pretty obviously bored rich women who thought they were making art.  people of the world: just cos you can crochet a beaded hat for your dog...doesnt mean you should.  and do not try and sell it as art.  similarly, stringing a plastic pepper and some bedazzled shit on a leather cord does not a beautiful piece of jewelry make. 

furthermore, and this is my favorite, altering a picture with preset photoshop layers is not art.  even if you print it on a 80x100 canvas and price it at $250.  i can do that too.  im not an artist [pronounced are-teeest].


but there were some [sadly less than half] quite talented artists with classy booths and i picked up a few cards with websites to investigate further.  also it was rather depressing visiting a market on a partially employed student's budget.  no $40 necklaces for moi.  but it was a gorgeous day and i got a few decent pics. 

a wood necklace display

liz's laundry

  • dress: esprit
  • distraction: probably kitties


  • shirt: body central
  • skirt: h&m
  • turtle necklace: random nz shop
  • tank: h&m
  • necklace: indian imports boutique
  • skirt: thrifted [silence & noise]
  • leggings: victoria's secret

Thursday, September 8, 2011

banana apple bran muffins

in case you are a new reader let me disclose first and foremost: i am pretty damn good at cooking.  baking on the other hand, is my kryptonite.  often there is much yelling and flailing and anger ensues when the resulting product is raw in the middle, falls from glorious heights, burned, or just plain disgusting. 

however, by some random happenstance, i found a recipe to use up our overripe bananas and apples and it not only is relatively healthy, but tastes pretty frikkin good!
banana apple bran muffins
adapted from cooks.com
yield: 1 dozen

1 1/2 C bran
1 C soy milk
1 C flour
1/2 C sugar
2 1/2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1 teas salt
2 teas ground ginger
1/2 teas ground cloves
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 bananas
1 apple
add bran to soy milk and let sit [it will bloat and get mega soggy].  combine dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside.  whisk egg and oil together, mash bananas and grate apple and stir into egg mixture.  add bran blob to egg and mix well.  pour liquidy goo into dry ingredients and fold until just mixed.  scoop into muffin/cupcake tin and bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.  devour.

bruce, karl, and some garden updates

bruce, our newest caterpillar, has gone into the weird chrysalis-izing stage.  karl is still...cocooned up and may or may not have just died in there.  unclear.  its been 10+ days...  but atleast i could finally clean out all the caterpillar poo.  all clean and waiting for someone to emerge.
in preparation for fall garden stuff, i planted broccoli, broccolini, radishes, and snow peas.  and by planted i mean..dumped a bunch of seeds in the dirt and gave them some water.  but they have sprouted!  and due to copious amounts of rain/hurricane/flooding, the older plants are doing surprisingly well! 
thai basil
two greenish red peppers peaking out from behind the foliage
cucumbers growing merrily on a trellis

tropical shirt resewing

before: men's xl [not exactly] diesel tropical tailored shirt from savers
after: tank top with ruffles, inspired by this pin

other stuff i thrifted, bought, and made..

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

liz's laundry

  • top: macys
  • tank: charlotte russe
  • shorts: glassons [nz]
  • shirt: vs outlet
  • scarf: esprit
  • belt: h&m
  • skirt: theory
  • tank: ny&co
  • belt: kenneth cole
  • skirt: h&m
  • dress: ny&co
  • necklace: fred flare
  • bracelet: some kiwi boutique
 
  • shirt and dress: h&m
  • belt: charlotte russe
  • sweater, jeggings & cotton scarf: uniqlo
  • lace tank: target
  • purple tank: h&m
  • purple necklace: steve & barrys

Thursday, September 1, 2011

post-hurricane happenings

so irene.  kudos.  you produced countless facebook posts, the evacuation of lower manhattan, and general chaos and panic buying of bread and tuna.  and for what?  well here on the island we were hit by a mere tropical storm that caused some flooding and downed trees.  no hurricane and not much serious damage...just little annoyances.
like no electricity from sunday at 5am until wednesday at 4am. 

and the only reason i know these times is saturday night [after drinking hurricanes] we went to bed at 330 when the internet and cable died, and leak frogs went off at 430 to let me know, oh yes.  the kitchen window is leaking thru the sill, down the wall, thru the floorboards, and straight into the basement.  now there was still electricity at this point, but having been blearily asleep for an hour i forgot to turn on the lights.  in my basement there are several options for where potential flooding could occur.  in my actual bedroom where my somewhat walk-in closet is, the laundry room, and the back basement.  i staggered between the three for awhile, hearing the blaring beepbeepbeep *pause* beepbeepbeep.  not nearly as adorable as the little plastic frog would imply.  
and the reason i knew when the power came back on ...well partially cos the fan started blowing on my face, my phone bleeped to let me know it was charging [thank god] and i heard a roommate on the stairs.  as it turns out in a moment of desperate optimism, i had turned on the bathroom light before a midnight pee.  in the dark.  the light switch controls both the light and the fan, so when the electric returned, the fan rattled back to life.  and the duct goes right through her bedroom.  oops.
last update:  karl has cocooned! 

and um.. you thought that was the last of the caterpillars... oh no. 

the last round of carrot greens brought in a swallowtail egg!  itty bitty orange thing that hatched when we werent paying attention.  at first we assumed it was a little piece of poo but it kept moving.  lo and behold, it was about a millimeter of wandering caterpillar.  now in my defense, the little bastard [lovely dubbed bruce] has gone through his first and second instar stages [ickle 'pillar milestones if you want to be twee] veeery quickly, and is now just a smaller lighter version of what karl was when i found him.  so no pictures of him being a little spiny black length with a white belly stripe. 

wah waah.  perhaps bruce will reach his full-grown stage quickly and cocoon next to karl so we can stop cleaning up frikkin caterpillar poop. 

cocktail dress

sunday is the much anticipated wine tour!  8 lovely ladies all dolled up sipping [...right] delicious long island grown wines!  for 8 hours..  there may be snoring in the limo on the way home. 

after perusing my closet i decided nothing would quite work and/or id already worn my ideal dressy dresses.  plus... in and out of a limo, possibly uneven terrain, rescue horses, and possible rain = no long gown type dealios.

so i decided to sew a dress.  and then we had a hurricane.  and no electricity.  and then someone borrowed my iron for 2 days.
but i cut out a pattern from and older h&m dress and transferred it to some cheapo "china lining" fabric i bought ...nearly 1 1/2 years ago.  and a random black piece of schmancy lace. 
basically just two jumper shaped pieces serged together at the shoulders and the left side.  who puts a zipper on the right side?  someone who wasnt paying attention.  thats who.

the dress stayed in this state for several days with just pins holding it together.  after some futzing, i realized, as per usual, id fucked up the fit and while the zipper went in surprisingly well [basting works?!] the top was all kinds of wrong.  solution?  chop off the back. 
several lengths of bias tape later, i edged the arm holes and back.  the leftovers were braided and attached to the twisted front strap, et voila!  dress!  completed 2 days in advance!!

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