rachelpink rides the bus

Cookie Party 2009!

 Last year I held a cookie party. It gave me a chance to make tons of cookies for my friends, and my friends deserve lots of cookies. This year I promised everyone that I'd make 12 varieties. Because I've been so busy the baking was a little frantic, but it got done! The last sheet of cookies came out of the oven 45 minutes before the first guest arrived. 

Here's what I made:

Lime Meltaways 

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (half filled with peanut butter icing, half filled with raspberry icing)

Sugar Cookies

Ice Box Cookies

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies (Note: I used Craisins and skipped the almonds)

Marshmallow Suprise Cookies (Note: I eliminated the frosting because that seemed crazy)

Toll House Chocolate Chip 

Snickerdoodles 

Crystallized Ginger Cookies 

Spreads (aka inside-out chocolate chip cookies) 

Peanut Butter Cookies 

That's 12 kinds if you count the 2 kinds of sandwich cookies (and I do--those cookies were a serious pain to make). I also bought some apples from the farmer's market and Vince kindly ate one. We had warm cider and rum (thanks, Owens family!), surprise balls for the kids, wine, chocolate milk, and holiday music aplenty. 

 

I Wish I Could Draw

The Maxi Craft sale at Re/Dress was so worthwhile and fun. I met some really cool people (including Golda--I've been following her blog for awhile and she's quite fantastic in real life too--and we also learned that we're neighbors in Astoria), hung out and laughed a lot with a friend, and spread a little happiness. At the end of the night, Kira Nerusskya showed the trailer to her film-in-progress, "Fat Girls Float." I've read a good bit about it on the fat-o-sphere, and Kira has really good, strong energy. Times are lean, but I felt compelled to donate a few ducats to her on the Kickstarter page for the project. 

Kira was talking about life and big girls. . . and she mentioned off-handedly what it feels like when someone gives you a look on the subway. A look that says--Look at all the damn space you're taking up! And Kira said that we all need to own that space! Yup, angry subway rider, this is the space I take up! It's mine and I'm an awesome thing to have in that space. 

And that's why I wish I could draw. Because what I saw in my mind's eye was an image of a subway car full of line drawings of folks of all kinds. . .each one "filled in" with their own energy. And some of it is good, and some of it is bad. And while my pleasingly girthful leg or arm might touch the fellow next to me (a fellow, no doubt, with legs outstretched for miles and miles), I'm also giving off (on most days) pure sunshine. And that slight fellow in the Member's Only jacket? He might not rub against you, but he might be scowling and angry and cursing under his breath. . . and that's gonna smart and stick with you more than a few minutes of me on you contact. It's an oversimplification, but that's fine by me. 

This came out a little more "woo woo" than I intended it to be. But that's OK. A girl can show off her woo from time to time, no? I just liked the point. And it helps that the day before I was sitting on the N train when I heard a 20-ish something girl say to her boyfriend in a loud whisper, "There are fat people everywhere." Well, yeah. There were. And there were also thin people and regular people and nice people and cruel people and people who smoked and people who lived on junk food and. . .some things are obvious and we can see them. Some are not. 

Impossibly good. Also not to be missed, "To Be Lonely." That song wrecks me every time I take a listen. 

Hey, Mr. DJ

I'm working on a Christmas mix for Cookie Party when I should actually be MAKING COOKIES for Cookie Party. Nice work, Kempster. I've got all the twinkly lights on, and the fan a-blazing (the super has the heat turned up like he's expecting Dante to pop in any minute). 

Today was productive and busy. I came up with an idea at the laundromat, and I'd kind of like to drop everything and spend the rest of today making it happen. But there's no time for new ideas! I must see the old ideas through first. 

We've got a booksigning in Brooklyn on Tuesday at WORD. It's gonna be fun and crafty and cake will be served. Wednesday I'll have a table at a craft fair at RE/DRESS in Brooklyn. I made some kitty cat badges and a few necklaces (charms on string--I'm only charging $4). I'm also bringing along some copies of The Happy Book to sell/sign. There's also launch at work this week, so the brits will be over and presenting the Fall 2010 list. I have Friday off for baking, and then BOOM, COOKIE PARTY!! 

In the middle of it all I have friends going through some heavy stuff and I really really really want to be the most present and best friend I can be. That's really priority #1 right now, and really, when isn't that true? Even when the Rachel Show is full speed ahead, my heart belongs to those good, smart, strong and funny people who make my life worth living. 

OK, time to decide if the Raveonettes come before or after The Carpenters all while firing up the ol' glue gun, making shepherd's pie and a baking a double-batch of ginger cookies. 

It's like Santa's workshop here in D6

To think I used to come home, make dinner, and then sit on the couch until the sleeping time. Ha! Lazy. Now, I come home and work on projects. Baking. Crafting. Knitting.

Tonight I had plans that were thwarted (again). But I had to do something, so I decided to whip up some surprise balls. I heard about these adorable things over on the My Paper Crane blog. You take little prizes and you build up a ball by wrapping crepe paper around them. I had a mix of toys (erasers shaped like sushi, plastic cats, etc.) and candy (chocolate coins, hamburger-shaped gum, etc.). The assortment was pretty fun, and after the first ball I got the hang of building up the base into a good, solid round shape. I still need to finish off the outer wrapping once I get some more crepe paper and some simple labels to seal up each balls. But the hard part is done. I made 6 of them for the kids I know. I need to make one for Matthew, but only after I find some more appropriate items for a little boy. My assortment skewed older and girly. . . just like me.

I should be dressed and on the subway platform, but I'm not quite there. I had a dream last night that was so viscous and terrible, I'd like to open up my skull, shake out my brain, scrub it down with Dr. Bronner's, and then hope that the memory of that dream sloshes down the drain in a slurry of badness.
Every last thing I've ever stressed about made its way in. It took place in Buffalo, and beyond that, I seriously don't want to think about it. It was AWFUL. So now I'm gonna put on a happy outfit and hope to hell I'll forget this flustercluck of evil forever and ever.

The end.

A Very Special Episode. . .

My most interesting work perk has always been the annual "Today Show" appearance. This morning I did it, and it's the first one I can watch without hiding my eyes behind my hands! My boss and I sat in a star-studded green room. Cornel West! That man has so much charisma he could have told me to baa like a lamb and I would have obeyed. Andrea Bocelli! He was everywhere I went from the make-up area to green room and he's followed around by a completely glamorous group of Italian women. He was warming up for his performance, and it was surreal. Natalie Portman! Kathie Lee Gifford! These were quick sightings, and I had to talk myself out of making some bad decisions. Fortunately, I was primarily focused on not making a fool of myself, so I kept the star-struck bits of me at bay. Barely.

This year I also got to make a quick visit to hair and make-up. Lemme tell you, that's a dangerous luxury. In just 10 minutes those fellows turned me super glam. It looked so effortless. And now, instead of a pony, I would like my very own hair and make-up man.

Of course, the coolest bit of all is that my company donated a million dollars of books to kids who need them. This hasn't been an easy year for any industry, and publishing was hit hard. I'm pretty darn proud to work for a place that still found a way to give even when things are tough. Contrary to what folks outside of publishing believe, it's not a very lucrative business. Everyone hears about Palin advances and sales of Twilight. . . but those are tiny tiny tiny drops in a very big bucket. So yeah for big donations! And yeah for kids reading! And yeah for Al Roker who was supremely nice both on and off-camera this year. And now, without further ado. . .

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

With Gratitude

A short list of things I'm thankful for today:

Friends who support me and laugh with me and expect the best from me. Without them, without you, I would be nothing. If you are what you love, than I am invincible and awesome because of my friends. 

A mom who I talk to every single day. And a dad who is home from the hospital and starting to get used to life without shopping trips (for the winter, he can't risk catching anything from strangers at the Stop-and-Shop). 

A niece and nephew who are bold and crazy and loving. It wrecks me that I don't get to see them more, but I am confident that will change. 

I am thankful for all cats, but especially the two who greet me when I come home (and I know it's because they want food, but it still feels nice). 

Oliver! I'm thankful that Baby Oliver arrived last week healthy and happy. Anna is one of my favorite people in the world, and seeing her be a mom is just plain cool. Oh, and Oliver? He's perfect and snuggly and spent over an hour sleeping on my chest like the littlest sweetest angel. 

The Happy Book experience has been so much fun, and I owe it all to Meg. Meg is better than a bowl full of glitter with a unicorn chaser. She's also one of my dearest friends. There's not much better than a Meg. 

Music in my ears and darkened movie theaters and staying up all night to read a book. 

Happy Birthday. . .

Baby O! 

Anna and Fritz welcomed Oliver into the world last night. It's his first full day on earth today. Anna is a mom. Fritz is a dad. That is so cool. And I am the lucky friend-aunt who lives a mere 10 blocks away and will spoil the heck out of Oliver. 

And oh how I love his name. I've seen a picture and that baby is a big bundle of cute. 

CONGRATULATIONS!! And welcome to the world, Oliver. You nabbed yourself some grade-A awesome parents. 

Better Candy

The chocolate in England is vastly superior to American chocolate and everyone knows it. While in London last week for a business trip, I spent most of my pocket money on Cadbury. My luggage bulged with Dairy Milk discs and Aero Bars and tins of Roses. Everytime I passed a Tesco I couldn't stop myself from picking up something sweet. 

My #1 favorite chocolate bar is the Cadbury Fruit and Nut. You can get it here, but it's not the same. There's something infinitely more delicious about the brick-sized bar I carried back home in my luggage. I'm eating it slowly, square by square. 

I'm also a fan of the caramel-filled bar (Caramello in the U.S.) and the Aero bar (bonus points for the mint bar). The tin of Roses is so pretty, but I really only like the liquid caramel barrels and the plainer varieties. I'm not a fan of the syrupy and sweet-filled candy wrapped in the rose or orange-colored foil. 

This adoration of UK candy is strange because I'm really not all that into chocolate otherwise. I work across the street from Jacques Torres, and while I sometimes splurge on a fancy dark chocolate bar it doesn't move me the way that British-born Cadbury does. Maybe it's pure snobbery. Maybe it's just the happy memory of discovering the refrigerated chocolate vending machine in the tube stations on my first visit to London. Either way, it's hardly worth fighting the impulse and the preference. Let me have my delicious chocolate, thank you. 

Jating suggested I give a whirl to the Nestle Quality Street chocolates. The young woman working the Jo Malone fragrance counter at Harrods agreed. But I was afraid to stray from what I loved. And I love those caramel-filled chocolate barrels. I'm confident a higher power is involved.