rachelpink rides the bus

Today Show Update

My air date? November 30th. Set your Tivos. I'll be on between 9 and 9:30 (or so they say).

Things I Like

I'm not blogging from New Orleans.

No, instead I PRE-BLOGGED for you, dear reader. Why? Because I'm a nerd.

Today's pre-blog? Crafty, artsy people that I dig:

Heidi Kenney at My Paper Crane. She makes the absolute best softies. I have photos of her broccolli and ice cream cones. Oh how I want more. . . a donut, a loaf of bread, a ship, a banana, one of her paintings. Anything and everything. 

M. Patrizio lives in Brooklyn. I met her at the Renegade Craft Fair, and I think I acted too much like a crazy, stalker super-fan. But whatevs. I love her stuff and her sense of style. I have a red bear pin that I LOVE, and a happy bear notepad. And some buttons that I haven't used yet. But I will.

The Small Object was an internet find. At first, I found her stuff kind of creepy--but I didn't realize that I was just looking at a small sample of her work. Subsequently, I purchased one of her alphabet prints and a stamp set. I would like all the stamp sets and limitless amounts of time to stamp. She also makes these kick-ass little wooden needle cases. I don't really need a little wooden needle case. . . or do I?

Crafty Alien sells precious knitting kits on Etsy. Little kitties, hedgehogs, even a squirrel. Maybe these would make good stocking stuffers for the wee ones in my life? I know I'd like to receive one.

Jen Corace makes pretty art.

Ashley G. is one of my favorite Etsy crafters.  I have one of her prints in my office, and I adore it. 

And finally, if I ever come into loads of money, the first selfish thing I'd do is buy every last thing in the Shinzi Katoh online store. Heck, I'll do better and go to Japan, say hi to Shinzi, and make the purchases in person.

Sense a theme? I'm a big ol' fan of cute. Cute is what I like. Cute is how I live.

Bye

Vacation. It's here. I've packed too much, but I don't care. It's here! Vacation!

No computer for me for the next 6 days. See you on the flip side. You know I'll have lots of pictures.

Back on Twitter

I stopped twittering, but now I'm back. Live drunk twittering from New Orleans awaits!

More Cab Love

So I went out to drinks this week and hopped a cab home with Maria. The cabbie liked me. A lot. And he was kind of creepy and weird, but does that surprise you?

Anyhow, after dropping me off he screamed out at me: "I'll marry you! If I see you again, I'll marry you!!"

The next day Maria told me that he asked her to pass his phone number on to me.

Vacation is a Day Away

Here's a list I composed during my commute home last night. Enjoy!

THINGS I WILL DO IN NEW ORLEANS
+Get tipsy in front of my mother
+Take 'artistic' close-ups of wrought iron
+Eat a shocking amount of food
+Try to spy with my little eye. . . Richard Simmons
+Knit by the Mississippi
+Take disco naps
+Throw beads from Lisa and Vince's balcony on Bourbon St.
+Brush powdered sugar off my clothes (repeatedly)
+Eat flaming bananas and a sandwich the size of my head
+Buy Anna pralines
+Sleep late when I want to
+Shop for munchkin presents
+Drink so much Abita my head will swim

THINGS I WILL NOT DO IN NEW ORLEANS
+Think about work
+Worry
+Check email (seriously--I'm going cold turkey)
+Answer calls from work

LOL Samantha

Magic Cabin of Horror

Because I like to shop for all the munckins (so many babies! and kids! oh my), I get close to a bazillion catalogs. There's Pottery Barn Kids, Mini Boden, Chasing Fireflies, and so on and on and on.

The toy catalogs started arriving today. The one that caught my eye? Magic Cabin. Fab name. And a fab catalog cover illustration from Richard Scarry. I'm a sucker for a cat in a dress.
 
Magic Cabin specializes in old-fashioned toys. I love that, don't get me wrong, but they don't include photographs of the toys. Just drawings. And I find the whole thing creepy and confusing. I held out hope that the website would have photos, but no luck.

I mean, I really really hate to dwell on it, but for some reason, this just completely blows my mind. <------- Do they color  over actual photos? I don't know. I do know that I would never buy my niece this mermaid outfit or princess vanity because the picture makes me freak out. I'm sure the people who run the catalog are lovely. The merchandise could be great--but who knows! I lack imagination. I need full-color photos.

Worse yet, I found that they sell DOLL SKIN. Chilling.

A Fantastic and Original Story, Written By My Nephew

[this is an unedited version of the story my munchkin sent to me.]

The Bat Who Swallowed A Hat

It all started when the bat saw something blowing in the air.  He thought that there was a flying mouse and when he swooped down and swallowed it he realized it was actually a hat.  Then he swallowed a horse to eat the hat.  The horse ate the hat but now he needed to get rid of the horse so he swallowed a lion to eat the horse.  The lion did but now what was he to do about getting rid of the lion?  He swallows a vampire to eat the lion.  He then swallows a bear to eat the vampire.  It was a success, however upon swallowing the bear, he bats stomach grew so large that he exploded into a million pieces and all that was left was a hat.

About the Author:
Donovan is a cool kid who lives in Florida. He's going to be the Grim Reaper for Halloween. His sister is Delaney. She's going to be a ballerina. He does not have a bat for a pet.

A Kind of Awesome Day In Queens

I love my neighborhood (ok, I intensely like my neighborhood--i'd love it with some green space) and the people who live in it. I love the friendliness and the honest-to-goodness diversity. And yes, last night my heart sank when I saw two pairs of bona fide hipsters walk by because I don't want this little space to gentrify any more than it has already.

So this morning we (Chuck, Lauren and I) started late with brunch at Valverde. And you know how I feel about Valverde. Today I mentioned to the owner that I do PR--and that if he wanted some help I'd give it. If I could help attract a steadier business I'd feel happy and useful so I'm going to try. He gave me his email address and a copy of the new menu with a quote from me that I'd left on a messageboard--me in the guise of Rachelpink.

From brunch we went to play pool down the block. Lauren and I were evenly matched but Chuck beat us both. Around us men watched soccer and drank strong greek coffee.

Lauren needed to take an early train back to Jersey, so she left with Chuck for Penn Station. I ventured onward on Steinway in search of sneakers and a pedicure. It's been awhile and I need good feet for New Orleans. At a little sporty store I found a pair of perfect sneakers (shamrock green rocket dogs) on sale for $18. Perfect. My usual pedicure place was closed, so I headed toward Panera. But alas--a little spa that I've passed a million times was open. I took a chance and went in to see if they would do a drop-in pedicure. They did and it was inexpensive and relaxing with quiet tinkly music. The owner and a friend were chatting and as my toes dried we all got to talking about kids and men and it was kind of fun but weirdly intimate.

And now I'm in Panera. To my left is a church group conferring about holiday craft projects. And I know Panera is a chain, but I guess only a chain can afford to open a big welcoming space that attracts all kinds of people and church groups and families and people like me who love free wifi and Fiesta con Queso soup. One of the church men was on crutches and he got up to leave. He smiled at me as he walked away. And the Panera lady who took away my soup bowl asked me how it was and she was nice and smiled too.

Today, all the people around me are happy and the sun is shining and it's a very good Sunday for all of us.

Book Share

This week I pulled a string and got Meg a galley of a book she really really wanted. It came right when Meg needed it, and I felt a little like the Amélie of LIC.

On Wednesday I lent R.J. a copy of The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and he's liking it as much as I thought he would. In return, he told me about a kind of funny NPR interview with Junot Diaz. I listened to it tonight as I worked late, and it was odd and lovely and good.

It's nice to be the giver of smart and happy books. So many times I've been the receiver of good tidings and suggestions.

Junot Diaz and Charles Baxter are from Meg. Kim gave me Possession (and one day, when I finish it, I suspect that I'll love it)--and I'm pretty sure she gave me Atonement. Henry's jacket for Kavalier and Clay gave me Kavalier and Clay--and his jacket for Being Dead gave me Jim Crace (right smack dab in the middle of an airport). Chuck has tried to give me On the Road--but I'm not there yet. Nancy gave me Christopher Moore and Sellevision. Professor Holstun gave me Milton. My mom gave me mysteries. Carrie, my best friend for 3 minutes in 4th grade, gave me Stephen King. And so on and on and on it goes.

I like this exercise. I like remembering how people and books and suggestions are all tangled up in me. I know that I'll remember more connections soon, and that it will make be buzz a bit. A happy buzz.

Ebbs and Flows

I want to read some books. I need to clean the apartment. I must wash the sheets and towels.

The (un)TOOTH occupies my mind.

My mouth hole is healing, and I'm feeling more like myself. Next week I'll get the stitches out. The ickiest bits are over.

Still, it's funny how an (un)TOOTH can be so distracting. It affected my sleep. I missed some work. It threw off the whole week.

The (un)TOOTH was an excuse. I slept late, got to work late, left on time (except for tonight--I worked a good ol' 12-hour day). I ate Pop-Tarts for breakfast this morning and used the (un)TOOTH as an excuse. Blech. Pop-Tarts are terrible.

This weekend I'll make me peace with the (un)TOOTH, and get back to normal right before I leave for a full delicious week of vacation.

Delaney Says I'm Noisy

That's right. My niece called me "noisy"--I suppose she meant LOUD.

That bummed me out.

Someday on Today

Got the call from "Today"--and I'll be going on air again to talk up my company and their book donation.

I'm mostly psyched for my nephew because he eats this stuff up. Last year he said: "So you've been on TV once. And now you were on TV this morning. Aunt Rachel, let's go for three times!"

Maybe the third time will be the charm :)

Thanks Boing, Boing

Now I'm addicted to THIS.

Damn you Boing Boing and Google Image Labeler!

Home Again

Not surprisingly, I took today off. Mostly I slept. Occasionally I looked at myself in the mirror. My swollen face amuses me. Sometimes I put frozen blueberries on my cheek to reduce swelling--but that's all done for now. The cold only helps the swelling for the first 24 hours.

I did catch up on some taped TV.

I had some seriously high hopes for this TV season. After a few weeks, I'm feeling kind of eh about it all. I like "Chuck" and "Pushing Daisies." Today I watched an episode of "Life" and found it engaging. "Earl", "30 Rock" and "The Office" have started off great. "Heroes" demands a lot of attention--so I've got them all taped for a day when I'm feeling focused. "Dirty Sexy Money" rocks--it's definitely my favorite of the bunch.

I watch TV for the company when Chuck's working, and I watch it while I'm knitting or on the web. I rarely, if ever, just sit there and watch TV. My hands are idle. My feet are idle. I'm up and down, up and down. TV doesn't help me relax. It DOES tell me what music to buy off iTunes :)

Ouch

Update 2: So it's Tuesday morning and I just talked to the doctor and he thinks that the blood from my tooth made me throw up. Delicious! I hope you're not reading this over your breakfast donut, dear reader. So, I'm home today and taking it easy on the couch. I have a bag of frozen blueberries on my face if you need a visual.

Update: It's 11pm and I just threw up from the pain. That can't be good. This is really not pleasant, so I'm going to watch the Family Guy Star Wars episode (for the millionth time) and hope for sleep. Bah.

Seriously? This tooth thing is RIDICULOUS.

The GOOD:
1. Dentist was excellent. Explained everything in detail. Had a sense of humor.
2. Dentist's assistant had Hello Kitty scrubs.

The BAD:
1. Just novocaine! No gas! No drugs! Phooey.
2. Metal objects in and around my mouth.
3. The sounds. The horrible horrible sounds.
4. No good painkillers when it was done--just Aleve. Bummer again.
5. MY MOUTH HURTS.
6. When it was all done, 2 cab drivers refused to take me to Queens--despite the fact that I was clutching an ice pack to my face.
7. Even with insurance, this whole deal is costing me a bundle. A big fat painful bundle.

F F F.

Chuck is off getting me a milkshake and some soup. And then I'm going to be crabby and try to get to sleep.

So Cool!

Baby Sophie wore the hat and sweater I made her this weekend. Do you see how freaking cute she is? 

Goodbye #18

Oh god, the internet is evil.

Today I'm getting my tooth (#18--bottom left, second from the back) taken out.

I poked around on Google a bit to find a tooth chart, and instead I found some horrific articles about tooth extraction. Here's a sentence I found particularly compelling: "A tooth extraction, as a rule, is the most traumatic dental appointment       there is."

F. I was a little stressed, but now my heart is racing and I want to cry. I wasn't expecting rainbows and sunshine--nor was I expecting trauma.

Think good thoughts for me. And floss.

Oh Fall

Fall, I missed you.

Your winds and breezes and golden leaves and cider and scarves and long pants and pumpkins and blue skies. All of it I missed.

This weekend isn't even over yet, and already it's one of my favorites. Brunch at Valverde, playing pool (badly) with Chuck, knitting presents, naps with kitty, reading Charles Baxter under a blanket, using free wi-fi, making flemish beef stew in the crockpot. Nothing extraordinary. Just plain good.

Help Shane, Pretty Please

My friend Nance has two rocking nephews. Shane, the younger munchkin, has autism. I just contributed to Autism Speaks in Shane's honor--and if you're feeling charitable, it would be so cool if you could help Shane and Nance reach their goal. You can donate and learn more about Autism Speaks here. You can also see what a totally cutey Shane is. Man, I know some adorable kids :)

Up Early

Headed to a TV taping for my Ir0n Chef. I can hardly believe it, but I made it through his tour alive. And I made it through the busiest time of the year unscathed.

Update: Despite having a freak out with the terrible, terrible car service, the morning was great. Why? Because I saw Carol!!! Yeah Carol. Her glasses were so pretty and purple. Carol!! Brunch and crafting with Meg and me. Soon :)

The Latest Cuteness

My brother and sis-n-law are raising some awesome kids. The munchkins just get smarter and cooler ever time I talk to them. The latest. . .

DONOVAN ON HISTORY
Me: So I just got back from Washington, D.C. today. Maybe next year you could come with me?
Donovan (v. excitedly): Yeah! And can I meet George Washington!
Me: Um no. He's dead. Dead for a long time.
Donovan: Oh, ok. (With increasing excitement) What about that crumpled piece of yellow paper? Can I see that?
Me: Crumpled paper? Do you mean the Constitution? Or the Declaration of Independence?
Donovan: Yeah. Those.

DELANEY ON TIME AND GEOGRAPHY
Me: Hey pumpkin. Whatcha doing?
Delaney: What time is it?
Me: What time is it? It's 6. What time is it there?
Delaney (with grave seriousness): It's 8:30. [pause] It's 8:39.
5 minutes later. . .
Delaney: What time is it?
Me: The same time it is there. It's 6:05.
Delaney (disappointed): Oh. Can I talk to Kevin?
Me: Kevin doesn't live here? Remember?
Delaney: Yeah, but he lives CLOSE. Can I talk to Grandma?
Me: No, she lives with Kevin and Grandpa.
Delaney: Can I talk to Chuck?
Me: He's here but he's busy--he's writing a book?
Delaney: A book? Why's he writing a book?
Me: That's his job.
Delaney (mind blown): Love you bye.

DONOVAN ON GOSSIP
Me: I heard that the kids at school are being mean?
Donovan: Yeah, they are. There's a girl and she's a dwarf and they're being mean to her. So I told my friend that if he doesn't stop I'm not going to be his friend. And I'm going to beat him up or tell the teacher if he says any more mean things.
Me: Wow. Can you please NOT beat him up?
Donovan: Well, OK. But you know that would be faster than going to the teacher. . .
Me: Yeah, just go to the teacher. You know, I'm really really proud of you. That was a hard thing to do, it's hard to stick up for people.
Donovan: Yeah. And it's not like it's her fault that she's little. It's not even her mother's fault. It's her genes that got messed up.
Me: You're right. And you're a really good kid.

I Just Bought Another Song From a Commercial

These time it was the "La Ti Dah" song from a Target commercial. The band? The Icicles. Song is cute and catchy.

Read This Book

Borrow my copy. Get it from the library. Just read it. Heck, I will buy you a copy as a present with my Penguin discount if you'd like me to.

Here's the review I posted on GoodReads.com:
Brilliant and challenging. The first chapter stalled me--despite Diaz's stunning prose, I just couldn't see where it was all going. Oh sometimes I can be a dope--because it got so good and compelling FAST and I just couldn't put it down until I got to the end. Diaz is genius. Read this book.

Love Cat

Sammy made it through the St. Louis trip. We left her with enough food and water to last for a week, but she was only completely alone for one full day. Chuck worried. I worried. We convinced ourselves that she would stop loving us.

Not true. She accepted us back with open paws. It helped that she was treated to her first wet food as a prize for being such a good kitty, and that we plied her with lots of petting and attention. Now she's back to being her big happy comfortable self.

And speaking of cats, here's one of my all-time favorite scenes of "The Office." Better even than Jim kissing Pam.

Flour Troubles

I spent my Columbus Day scrubbing the kitchen. Why? Flour bugs. Seriously, don't I deserve a reprieve on the bug front? Does the bug community have a "Do Not Bother" list? If so, I deserve a spot on it.

I noticed the bugs a few weeks ago, but I knew I needed some time to get to the root of the problem. Today was the day. And it took all day. It wasn't enough for me just to find the root of the problem (shock--a bag of flour) and throw it out. I threw out lots and lots of things in the cabinets. I took everything out, I scrubbed all the cabinets, and I sprayed them with botanical kitchen-safe Raid. I washed all the glasses and plates. It was all exhausting and annoying. But now it's done. And I just took a cleansing post-cleaning shower and the kitchen is sparkling so I guess it was a fine way to spend a work holiday.

I also learned that it's smart to freeze your flour so you don't have to spend a day scrubbing out your cabinets.

A Missouri Compromise

Chuck and I just returned from St. Louis--Clayton, MO to be more specific. I had to help run my company's booth at a book fair. Chuck went to give a talk about his new Lincoln book. 

Here's Chuck and his book:

When I went onto the Publishers Weekly website today, I discovered that Chuck's book gets a starred review in this week's edition. They say: 
A highly readable general biography of the American icon, complete with realistic replicas of notes, sketches and letters from the Presidential collection, this book will delight Lincoln enthusiasts, as well as fans of general American history. Wills’ text is a well-written account of Lincoln’s life, with nods to all of the recent scholarship—from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2005 Team of Rivals to recent speculation over Lincoln’s sexual orientation—without sinking into too much analysis or debate."

Sweet. As for St. Louis, it was OK. Never saw the Arch. Had a big ol' badly decorated suite with a giant King bed, and we got upgraded to First Class on the flight home. We had a great dinner at a restaurant called Oceano last night, and a tasty breakfast at a little cafe this morning. They had such good coffee. Mmmm.

I am happy to be home.

Out o' Town

Headed off to St. Louis this morning with Chuck. I'll be manning the DK booth at the St. Louis book festival. Chuck will be giving a talk about Lincoln. He spent yesterday in media training, so I expect that he'll quickly win over the crowd.

What he doesn't know is that I'm planning to crash his talk in full costume as John Wilkes Booth!

No. Not really. But that would be cool, right?

Leaving my computer at home so it can rest while I rest on a big fluffy hotel bed. More travel time for knitting and reading. Oh, I'm liking October a lot.

Blessed

My friends are a blessing. Supportive and tough. Funny and forgiving.

Rachelpink Made It Into Glamour!

My pictures made it into Glamour! How cool! It's the issue that's just hitting stands now. And yes, now you know what medicine I'm on. It's OK. I trust you.

UPDATE: For those who've asked, it's the November issue. Mariah Carey is on the cover. My poor father spent 2 hours yesterday thumbing through the October issue. He's usually not a Glamour reader.

Better Listening Through Commercials

I fell in love with the song in this Old Navy commercial. It's beautiful, but I delayed a full investigation. What if it was just a jingle? That would suck. Alas! I was wrong. It's a real song, an exquisite song, a perfectly sweet and lovely love song. The singer is Ingrid Michaelson. I love her voice so much that I bought the whole darn album.

Here are the lyrics because I just love love love them.

THE WAY I AM

If you were falling, then I would catch you.

You need a light, I'd find a match.

Cuz I love the way you say good morning. And you take me the way I am.

If you are chilly, here take my sweater.

Your head is aching, I'll make it better.

Cuz I love the way you call me baby. And you take me the way I am.

I'd buy you Rogaine if you start losing all your hair. Sew on patches to all you tear.

Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise.

And you take me the way I am. You take me the way I am. You take me the way I am.