Party Time!

My favorite thing about New York is my friends. Sure I love that there is something to do (maybe a little too many things) every night, different kinds of people every where you look and a bustling all around you like no other place I've ever been. Yes I love these things, but if I left it all behind for greener and maybe easier pastures, the hardest thing to live without would be my friends. And I've done it once before, so I know. In this hectic city, they are what keeps me sane, well somewhat.  

And last weekend we all got together — not that we don't pretty much every other weekend — to celebrate the holiday season. As we expected, the original guest list dwindled down with last minute cancellations and competing Christmas parties, to pretty much just the normal crew plus a few. But we didn't let that stop us from getting all fancy and dancing around the Christmas tree all night long. Who needs a massive crowd to make it a party, right? Just as long as you are surrounded by the people you love — that's the recipe for a great night in my book. And it was:  

Fun in Manchester and Glasgow

I haven't told you much about my time in Manchester and Glasgow as a lot of it was spent simply hanging out, catching up, drinking tea by the fire, going on walks, watching man TV, taking baths, eating pasta, working on the little children's book I wrote (more on that later) and hanging out with a little child. Just time with people who are so close to me but live so far away. Amazing yes, but not too much to report on there. But then again, what a good time we had just being us and being silly. Going out and having fun, staying in and having fun, from evenings jumping on the bed with my niece to late nights in the Northern Corner wearing hats and being ridiculous with new friends. Oh and there was my brother channeling Elton John, Nick eating a really big fish and two year old Sadie cooking us all dinner. I do seem to have a few photos of that: 

Barcelona Weekend Roundup

Last weekend I went to Spain for the first time in about eight years and it felt just as amazing as it always did. I was born there and studied abroad there as well, so the country has always held a place in my heart and it made it even more special to be there with someone who does also.

  

We managed to pack a lot into our three days in the city and even though it rained a bit, it was still so much warmer than back in England or NYC. One day I got to wear a skirt without tights and always just my light military jacket. Amazing. So anyway, my dear friend Rachael used to lived in Barcelona and sent us off with a detailed email of where we should go according to her life there. So we followed her lead from Gaudí's Park Güell to an authentic Catalan restaurant on a tiny street to the "cafe" she used to work at. So nice to see the city from a local point of view, I only wished she was the one serving us our late night cervezas.

We also managed to discover some places on our own and with the help of the Internet of course (well I pretty much just followed along as he researched and lead the way) including an amazing tapas restaurant where we ended up eating two nights in a row because it was so delish (I've never done that before), a bar called Wow!, a pool table where you paid for a half an hour and played for how ever long (love Spanish rules) and an American-esque brunch spot (sometimes you just need a break from jamon y queso, no?). And of course we walked on tiny cobble stone streets, ducked into churches, drank cafe con leche at outside tables, strolled along the deserted beach and drank massive amounts of vino. What else do you do in Spain? 

Here are some pics. I know disclaimers are annoying, but I wish they were better. Granted it rained a lot (hence the weird frizzy hair) and I just wasn't in my normal excessive photo taking vacation mode, maybe I was simply too distracted with all the things above: 

Outfit: Skirt (Primark), cropped black tee (H&M), military jacket (Gap), booties (ASOS) and vintage bag (Beacon's Closet) 

Outfit: Shirt (Primark), vintage Levi shorts (thrift Berlin), military jacket (Gap), booties (ASOS) and vintage bag (Beacon's Closet) 

Happiness.

INDIA—From left: Pattie Boyd Harrison, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Cynthia Lennon at Delhi Palam airport, on their way to meet the Maharishi Mahesh, 1968

I am writing this from my Mom's new apartment overlooking the beautiful waters and bridges of the Bay Area, after spending the day with her, my uncle, two of my brothers, my sister-in-law and her mom, as well as my two nieces, laughing watching a two and three-year-old open presents, playing white elephant, eating, drinking wine and being merry. Yesterday I was with one of my closest friends, as I was with another the day before and the day before that. I love being home and at the moment I feel like I could stay here forever. And with all this cheer running through me, I thought I would check in and wish you all some happy happy holidays and hope that you are smiling as much as I was today and as those guys are up there.  

California Bound

After all these possible flight delays and cancellations, as of now, it looks like I am going to make it home. Wish me luck on my icy 5 am subway trip, passing through Heathrow with all that mess, and with those tricky customs guys. Hope I make it out West, where even if it is raining it will feel like sunshine pouring down on me. See you on the flip side....

A Cure for Homesickness

Buying a plane ticket to said home. Just purchased a rather pricey ticket home to San Francisco for the holidays and I cannot wait to be surrounded by family, friends and the English language for over two weeks! I really think it will be just what I need to get out of this little funk I am in.


Photo from SFGirlbyTheBay.

I'm Back

I have returned from a lovely holiday on an island in the Baltic Sea and let me tell you those East Germans have a whole lot more free beach behavior then us Americans. Appropriately my vacation reading took place in a commune in the 1960s, so it didn't take me too long to get into the spirit. More stories and of course pics to come.

Tschüss!

Lucky me, I am off to a German beach town on the Baltic Sea for a week and I am going to try my hardest to stay off the Internet and reeelllllllllaaxxxxxxxx — something that has been hard for me to do lately but that's been long overdo. See you when I get back all tanned and serene, hopefully.

The Best New Year's Eve, The Best New Year

After a long hungover day of traveling (can you believe the flight from Germany is nine hours?) I am home in the States and a new year is upon us. I was supposed to already be back in NYC to celebrate New Year's, but as luck (that didn't seem like luck at the time) would have it, my flight got delayed a few days and I ended up staying through the end of the year and having the loveliest little New Year's Eve celebration on a snowy night with lit up skies. It was all sans makeup, fancy dresses (even though I love them), countdowns, and parties — just the two of us, a few bottles of champagne, some delicious cheese, an awesome dance party mix, and the most intensely overwhelming amateur firework show seen from a fifth floor balcony (our extreme proximity to the blasts made me hyperventilate with a crazy smile for at least an hour, no joke they were 10 feet from our faces). So simple, so crazy, so fun.

If this perfect evening is any indication of the year to come, bring it on 2010...and I wish the same to all of you.

               

Off to Berlin...

No flight delays today. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will see you next year!

My Holiday Gift Guide

So I realized that a sort of Christmas/Hanukkah wish list if you will, has been building up in my head rather rapidly for the last couple days/weeks now. Sometimes I have no idea what I want, but it's certainly not the case this year. Not that I will really be celebrating or unwrapping any presents (my gifts have already come in the form of air miles), but in the spirit of the season I thought I would just put this out there. A girl can dream, right?

Ray-Ban Tortoiseshell Clubmaster Shades - I have been wearing my $5 cheapy pair for long enough now, I think it is time for the real thing.


Hooded Scarf (in black please) - A hood and scarf in one is pure genius - practical and Gothic at the same time! I actually bought one off Amazon but was seriously disappointed when it arrived. The hood wasn't big enough and it was itchy. Weirdly this seems like something that requires a little bit of a splurge, especially since this perfect one is made of angora. I think this just might be number one on my wish list.


French Press - Ever since I left Berlin my coffee just hasn't tasted the same. I believe one of these might just do the trick, or at least have a placebo effect.


Black Over The Knee Suede Boots - Okay okay, I know I already own a pair of black over the knee boots - but I don't have a high-heeled suede pair. Plus these are a cheap version, so it's okay that they probably will be out of style in two seasons.


Soccer Ball - I have spent too many days at Prospect Park complaining about not having one of these to kick around. Will someone just buy me one already! Then we can play pass backs.


iTunes Gift Card - I am terribly sick of my music collection right now and in desperate need of a revamp. And now that I don't work for the magazine anymore, I am no longer showered with gifts from Apple (in fact I'll take a new iPod too) every holiday. They used to give me so much of this plastic, I would give it away like candy. Oh the good old days!


Diane Von Furstenberg Coat - And just for fun, if anyone really wants go all out (break the bank) for yours truly, I would die for this little number. Karsten thinks it looks like a psychedelic potato sack, but maybe that is what makes me love it that much more? Plus, it's on sale so you'll only have to take out a small loan.