Meatless Monday

Hell hath frozen over. I took the Meatless Monday pledge.

I'm starting each week on a healthy, environmentally friendly, meat-free note.

I eat too much damn meat. Over it.

After taking the pledge, I excitedly scrawled "Meatless Monday!" on my jumbo desk calendar inside each week's Monday box.

D'oh! Got a little too excited. Sunday is the new Monday, dahling. God bless correction fluid.

Now I have that wretched Bangles song stuck in my head.

It's just another meatless Mondaaaaay. Ohhh-whoa. Wish it was Sundaaaay. Ohhh-whoa. CuzthenIwouldn'thaveusedupanentirebottleofcorrectionfluiiiiiid. Ohhh-whoa.

Wild Thing

My pal, Admiral Percer, picked up this fine addition to his record collection.

Pow! How do ya' like them apples?! If this isn't off-the-charts fabulous, then I don't know what is.

NYC Trip Notes: Amigos Por Vida + Bon Voyage

Sherri is now an even hotter brunette. She and Ian hadn't previously met. Naturally, they bonded like gangbusters. Please visit her at Three of Cups Lounge in the East Village or The Trash Bar in Willamsburg/Brooklyn. She'll take good care of you.

This is Ian's best NYC pal, Justin, shown here rocking the tip of Ian's foxtail, which I broke off in a blaze of ham-handed glory.

Justin accompanied us on most of our adventures. He's deliciously irreverent, gut-bustingly hilarious, refined, sings like an angel and is easy on the eyes. Instant family. Love, love, loooove this man.

Finally, feast your eyes on my newest amigo, Erasmus. Magnificent in every single way. Hearty congrats to his lovely parents, Nancy Rawlinson and Lucas Thorpe. Well done, my friends.

"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men."  ~ Martin Fraquhar Tupper

Visiting with Nancy and Raz just before heading to LaGuardia was a perfect ending to a perfect trip. I was so happy and mellow from awesome baby energy that I didn't stress a bit over traffic, an über-greasy driver who flirted shamelessly, airport madness and the demise of my Au Bon Pain breakfast sandwich that escaped from my hands, plopped onto my dress, then slid off the slinky fabric and onto the not-so-sparkling terminal floor — bon appétit!

And bon voyage.

Love and thanks, Ian. See you soon.

NYC Trip Notes: Beauty Bounty

Beautyphiles, prepare to swoon... This white behemoth is the GM Building, a 50-story, 705-foot office tower facing Fifth Avenue at 59th Street. It's one of the few Manhattan structures that occupies a full city block. Estee Lauder headquarters is located here.

There's a company store located in the depths of the building. It's a mythical place where you can find ridiculously-incredible (try up to 80% off, thankyouverymuch) deals on Estee Lauder products and their affiliates, such as Origins, MAC, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, Ojon and more.

What's the catch? You have to be an employee. Sorry.

Guess who's an employee?

Bumble & Bumble is an Estee Lauder company, dahling.

After getting cleared by copious security, we navigated our way through the foreboding-yet-fabulous halls...

...until finally reaching the (drumroll, please) Company Store! I didn't take any pics inside the store because it seemed forbidden, but here's what it was like: Angels strummed harps and sang in perfect pitch. Gorgeous, shirtless, straight men took turns carrying my basket. Nirvana, at last!

Yeah, I know... I took it too far with the straight part. But I had you going with the harps and such, right? Riiiiiiight.

Truth: It was small and basic. Very no-nonsense. And chock full o' great products at literally unbelievable prices. I found myself living what is normally something I dream about on a very regular basis. I'm not kidding. I frequently dream that I'm walking around a beauty or apparel store with impossibly-low prices... that and another one involving a Sea World visit in which Shamu leaps out of the pool and bites me, but that's another post entirely. Anyway, here's my haul:

"Sweet dreams are made of this." ~ Annie Lennox

Event Notes: NYC Fall Fashion Week 2011

The Tent at Bryant Park is now the Theatre at Lincoln Center, home to the American Ballet Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera House. Last year, the city promised to provide a bigger, fancier location to house the event. Seems they made good on that promise. It's lovely.

Guests enter on a red carpet into the lobby, which is jam-packed with booths, swag and hype. I got suckered into posing at the Mercedes-Benz display. Ian was asked to join me, but he scampered away. Thus, the display model stood in as my date.

No, I'm not wearing a boa. It's a vest. A vest made entirely of oh-so-delicate feathers, courtesy of Ian. Speaking of that friend of mine, feast your eyes on how gorgeous and slender he looked at the show.

A bit blurry, but you get the idea: Hotness.

Here's a shot of one of the press pits. They're reviewing live feed from the shows happening in separate rooms inside the complex.

The Behnaz show was fabulous. See next post for my pics.

Behnaz Sarafpour Show

It was lovely. Yes, we were this close. Life is good. All pics taken with the cam on my bad-ass new Android.

For Style.com's coverage of this show, click here.

For WWD's coverage, click here.

For New York Magazine's coverage, click here.

Love.

Here's how Valentine's Day began. Ian's coffee.

When love is not madness, it is not love.  ~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Then I received this lovely valentine from my dear friend, Sheli:

Happy Valentine's Day to all. xo

NYC Trip Notes 2

Feast your eyes on this sweet set-up in Ian's living room.

My two days of solo urban exploring were awesome. Managed to take all the right trains. The GPS system on my new phone is kind of the best thing ever.

Friday: East Village, SoHo

Saturday: Rockefeller, 5th Ave, Central Park

They were skating to 50 Cent. Can't win 'em all, I suppose.

I also did a Times Square lightning round last night whilst cabbing to meet Ian at work. Highly efficient.

Last night, we dined at this killer Indian hole in the wall that positively dripped with strand lights. Fab.

Now we're preparing to venture out into what's expected to be the warmest day of my visit. 50 degrees. There's that number again. 50. There must be magick afoot.

That's actually his book. He's down with the Cottage Witchery. And if I don't hurry and get off this computer so we can go eat breakfast, he's certain to cast a spell on me. If I trip and fall in front of gobs of movers and shakers at the fashion show tonight, you know who to blame. Ian Dorey, your new name is Dorlock.

UPDATE: During some shopping after breakfast, the total of one of my purchases--including tax--came to an exact $50. WTF?!?

NYC Trip Notes 1

Here I am in NYC. Fashion Week 2011. Five-star fabulous, dahling. My host, Ian, is a colorist at Bumble & Bumble in the Meatpacking District. I went straight there from the airport. Here it is. Check out the view in pic #6. That's where I set up camp for about an hour last night while Ian finished up with clients. The view doesn't suck. Lovely staff. Isis King, the transsexual contestant from America's Next Top Model, is a desk clerk. Here she is.

Hotness, no? Then we grabbed some way-too-fattening dinner and headed to Trash Bar in Williamsburg, where mi amiga, Sherri, bartends.

She's the saucy dame second from left. Yeah, the one in the miniskirt, exposing her midriff. I told you: Saucy.

Today, I'm in urban explorer mode while Ian works. Please don't let me catch the wrong trains.

Here I Come...

“This is New York and there's no law against being annoying”

William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 - September 4, 1995)

Sweet Justice! Bird Kills Man!

(AP/Los Angeles Times) - A Central California man who was at a cockfight died after being stabbed in the leg by a bird that had a knife attached to its own limb, officials confirmed Monday. Jose Luis Ochoa, 35, of Lamont, was declared dead at a hospital about two hours after he was injured in neighboring Tulare County on Jan. 30, the Kern County coroner said.

An autopsy concluded Ochoa died of an accidental "sharp force injury" to his right calf.

Sheriff's spokesman Ray Pruitt said it was unclear if a delay in seeking medical attention contributed to Ochoa's death.

"I have never seen this type of incident," Sgt. Martin King, a 24-year veteran of the sheriff's department, told the Bakersfield Californian.

Ochoa and the other spectators fled when authorities arrived at the scene of the fight, King told the newspaper. Deputies found five dead roosters and other evidence of cockfighting at the location, he said.

No arrests were made at the cockfight.

Read the rest of the story here.

I've crossed over...

 

... to the dark side.

It was a "why not?" kind of day.

Thanks to colorist extraordinaire, Estevan Apodaca!

New Fabü

Four new Fabü features posted:

1. Lomilomi Massage

2. A Good Day to Dye (lash/brow tint)

3. Stick it to Me! (adventures in injectables and fillers)

4. Reflexology

Enjoy, dahling!

No one's safe in a recession...

 

Luxury footwear label Jimmy Choo is about to go up for sale.

Following the results of a strategic review, Choo's private equity backers have recommended putting the label up for sale.

According to Reuters, the sale could fetch about $805 million.

Death from Above 1979 Reunite!

Fantastic news, kids.

Canadian dance-punk/noise-rock duo, Death From Above 1979, are back together.

Wheeeee! Cartwheels!

I was deeply saddened five years ago when I learned the world would no longer be graced with the majesty of Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler's heavy, synth-laden, seksi grooves. Today, I celebrate the resurrection of their fabulousness.

The news was confirmed via a statement from Grainger on the band's web site:

"Jesse  and I have decided that what we can do together should not be denied."

What's to come? They'll let us know.

"As this all takes shape, we will reveal it to you," Grainger states. "All of it happening, as it always has, in our own way."

Fasten your seatbelts, my friends. It's ON!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2sf2-K8qFo&feature=related]

Happy Chinese New Year!

Welcome, Chinese year 4709 -- the Year of the Rabbit!

Traditionally, the Rabbit brings a placid year in which we can exhale deeply and mend our frayed nerves. After last year’s ferocious, battle-heavy Year of the Tiger, the Rabbit is quite welcome and needed.

I would like to see you ring in the Rabbit with the utmost civility. Chinese New Year celebrations are all about family, respect and red, red, red. This occasion is simply drenched in the festive hue.Various customs include wearing red clothing, giving money gifts in red envelopes and hanging red lanterns. It’s commonly believed that red symbolizes fire, which legendarily fends off bad luck and evil spirits. This is why firecrackers are nearly mandatory on this holiday.

Oh, another custom: It’s widely considered improper to raise your voice, tell lies, break anything or use indecent language on the first day of the year. Oh, come on, potty mouth, it’s not impossible. I was able to pull it off last year. And, trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.

I wish you a lovely year filled with all things good.

Brrrrrrrrr.

 

It's currently - 8° F.

Wish I didn't have to leave the house in 30 minutes, but it's a very important appointment.

Gotta get mah roots done.

Haaaaay!

The White Stripes Call It Quits

The White Stripes have officially broken up. According to a statement on the band's Web site: "The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want."

The band explains the reason for the break up is "for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way."

I would like to personally extend thanks to Jack and Meg White for releasing this statement today rather than tomorrow. Considering tomorrow is Chinese New Year, and red clothing is customarily worn, had the Whites' statement been released then, I wouldn't have known who was celebrating CNY and who was mourning the red garb-loving White Stripes' demise.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjYklurtGG0&feature=related]

Spring is Near!

Considering the fact that it's currently 9°F and my pipes are frozen, it's hard to believe that spring approacheth. Nevertheless, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning. This means we only have two more weeks of winter.

Sorry, Phil. Not buyin' it, man.

The National Climatic Data Center says Phil is correct about 40 percent of the time. Just sayin'.

I'm gonna go use my neighbor's toilet now. Awesome.

Happy Groundhog Day.

Snowpocalypse!

You are here.