50 People, One Question

Where would you like to wake up tomorrow?

What do you hope to happen by the end of the day?

Find out what 50 people in New York, Brooklyn, and New Orleans had to say in these great videos from the folks at Crush & Lovely:


Fifty People, One Question: New York from Crush & Lovely on Vimeo.



Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Crush & Lovely on Vimeo.



Fifty People, One Question: New Orleans from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.

Target's Home Design Event

More Target. I know, I know. Maybe I'm just excited to get back to KC and actually go to a Target. It's been months!

After my post about the Red Hot Shop, I got this in my inbox today:

Starting January 4, Target stores will have items from their Home Design Event—not as much an "event," but rather a limited-time-only-collection of housewares. And they're beautiful, and, um, cheap! Not to mention some are nicely eco-conscious. My faves:

Black carved mirror for $180

Floral rug for, excuse me?, $30—going in my bedroom

White 12-Drawer Chest for $200. Great for bedroom or bathroom (if you have one large enough)

Vintage Bird Wall Decor (set of 2) for $20. That's 10 bucks each. Sweet.

Check out the rest of the Lookbook here.

Red Hot Shop

Oh, Target. What will you come up with next? First the $1 bins, now this: the Red Hot Shop. Like so many other things, am I behind on this? I hope I'm not the only one who just discovered it today.


It's a round-up of Target's best secret stash that you can't necessarily get in your local store. Strapless dresses, cool gadgets, housewares, and crafty gifts—a make-your-own-bag kit and screen-printing kit? Yes, please!

Wish I woulda known about this before Christmas shopping ...

Oh, Bliss

I'm very tardy in posting about Mrs. French. See her blog, Bliss, over there on my "other lovelies" list? She's a Portland friend, and she's recently launched her Etsy shop, blissfulimages, filled with ethereal, beautiful original photography.


Like what you see? Find more here!

Also, the following image, Paper Web, will soon be added to Urban Outfitter's arsenal of wall art. Find it in stores in early spring.


Congrats, Mrs. French!

I heart LGA

No, no really, I dislike LaGuardia airport, and so far Midwest Airlines, too.

It's not Midwest's fault this time. (Over Thanksgiving, it sure was and they had no cookies to make up for it. I'm still smarting.) This time, it's Mother Nature's fault. It's snowing, blah blah blah. All flights but mine have been canceled, and if mine is canceled, my next option is Thursday. That's almost a week from today, kids, and it's also Christmas Day.

Le sigh.

My flight's not 'til 8 pm (in theory), but my boss practically pushed me out the door at noon. "Go!" she said. "Get on a flight, any flight."

So I skipped rush hour and grabbed a cab. After an hour in line, I'm here with a Vanity Fair, the Reasons to Love NYC issue of New York mag, the fantastic Laura Marling on my iPod (download now, please), "Sex and the City" Netflix DVD, an $8 pass to get online, webmail for work, and Hulu.com. I think I'm set for a while.

I'm sitting at the same gate as always: B1. There's a squeaky air vent that squeaked the last time I was here, too. I've no longer wondered how long of my life I waste at stoplights; instead I think about time wasted waiting for trains and airplanes.

There's a girl sitting across from me who I swear went to my middle school. I know she lives in NYC, so it would make sense that she'd be waiting for a KC flight, too. I'm just waiting for a good time (when I'm good and bored) to possibly make a grand fool of myself by asking, "Kate? Kate from Overland Trail?"

If only I weren't at the airport, and I'd be so giddily excited about this snow.

ISO ...

In search of: flirty party outfit for New Year's. (Yes, I hate strongly dislike New Year's as much as the rest of you. But this year, I'm dressing up and raising my glass to two-thousand-fine.)

$40, Target — bargain and swingy, but could look like a potato sack:



$252, Marc Bouwer on BlueFly.com — too dressy and too pricey, but so pretty:


$130 sequin tank and $89 dark skinny jean at Banana Republic — ah, just right ... but $130 for a tank? Not in this economy:


A-ha! Problem solved:

$20, Forever 21 — probably won't fit as well as the BR option, but for $20 and one night, who cares? Pair with skinny jeans and black boots I already own; done and done:

Thoughts? What are you wearing?

If Only

Couldn't help but think of this if-only-the-I-had-been-two-seconds-earlier article as the infamous G train slid into the station right as I was heading to Crafternoon.

A Christmas miracle!

29 times played on iTunes

I was so very close to spending $100 to see Bon Iver at Town Hall this week just to hear him sing "Skinny Love" live. I didn't, and in retrospect it was smart, since I was plagued with a stomach/chest/head bug. Still. Wouldn't you want to hear him live, too?

LIFE photo archive on Google

My agenda for tonight is officially set: Google has the entire LIFE photo archive online, organized by decade, searchable, and available to buy! I'm so nerdily excited.

Mary Marie Handmade Goods

So excited to announce (a bit late, I admit) that my good friend over at Failed Feminist, Cara, has launched her new Esty site, Mary Marie Handmade Goods.

Recycled candles, buttons made into magnets, and more re-made/handmade/lovingly-made crafts to come.

Get thee over there!

This was Fall

Although winter's upon us (Christmas? What?) I sadly neglected much of fall. Here was life:

Food

Running along the Brooklyn Promenade

Apple picking upstate (last picture by Sarah)

Pumpkin carving and cupcake making (cupcake photo by Jes)

NYC Marathon-ing (er, volunteering)

Celebrating

Reuniting in Boston

Ani

Back

When I was in Portland, I was always well aware of how long I'd been there. (Four months, two weeks. Eight months. Ten months. A year.) It wasn't that Portland was a perpetual ticking clock; the job was. I was painfully aware of how long I'd been there and how much longer I had to stay in order for it to be "acceptable."

Someone recently asked me how long I'd been in New York, and I strangely had very little clue. Two months? Four months? Ah, just more than three months.


Yup, it's true.

By the way, I know the last day I posted was Election Day, but I just have to say:

... best night spent with 500 Brooklynites ever. In short, best night.

Why have I been away so long? You know, busy, busy. But, I've taken up reading again (how I missed you!) not watching TV, and staying far, far away from the computer at night (really!). Won't stay away so long anymore.

I'm a Neglecter

Oh, friends. I know. I'm neglectful.

So much to update on: apple picking, babysitting, Halloween pumpkins, moving, the new job, the publishing meltdown, volunteering at the NYC Marathon, the election, visiting Boston, etc etc etc.

Apparently, though, I have black thumb when it comes to Internet and my new apartment's connection is more than spotty. When it returns, I'll be back in full force.

But for now, just this:

Am Alive and Kickin'

So sad that my last post that's been living on here forever was about an iPod when so many other exciting things have happened lately.

The most exciting thing: A JOB!

Yes, it's true. I'm no long an unemployed schlump. I'm thrilled. Beyond thrilled. I started Monday and so far it's busy, challenging, and slightly overwhelming, but also incredibly fulfilling. And it's a breath of fresh air considering the situation I came from. (My boss tells me to leave at 6 and scolds me if I don't leave for at least an hour's lunch.)

Second exciting thing: AN APARTMENT!

I now have a permanent place to lay my head, and it doesn't involve an air mattress. It does, however, involve a very cool Midwest girl and her very cool boyfriend from Maine. And best of all, it involves a very beautiful Australian Shepherd, the same kind of dog as my Tess and Haley.

It's all falling into place, friends. It just takes some time and patience and trust. I'll get more into that later. In short, I've learned so so so much.

Gus Jr.

After a good five years out of my old iPod Mini urging me on during runs, I've finally realized it's time to replace him. My runs used to be accompanied by Scissor Sisters and Bloc Party for a good 20 minutes. Now I get about 5 minutes, if I'm lucky.

I'm sorry, I loved you, but you gotta go. So with a birthday gift card (thanks, family!), I replaced Gus, my old stand-by, with Gus Jr.:

I'm a little obsessed with it already. Can you tell? Why else would I write about it? It's so small! And it clips to my clothes—no more sweaty armband!

Now if only my two-week old raging butthead of a cold would go away so I could enjoy the fall weather and go for a run.

New York's Great Tourist Traps

It's no secret: I will visit any New York tourist trap. Statue of Liberty? Sure! Those tourist buses that you sit on top of while a yappy tourist guide tells you where all the celebs live? Yes, please. And give me a day that's totally empty of obligations, weather that's gorgeous, a friend who's willing to traipse around with me (and, miraculously, a city that seemed empty of actual tourists), and I'm set.

So, that's what my friend Snow and I did last weekend. See, she's worked at a number of museums around the city, so she has a handy little card that gets us in anywhere free.

Our first stop: The American Museum of Natural History. Little known fact about me: I'm a big nerd for museums, and this museum makes me feel like a little kid every time I go. I love it there.

I will never get over my love of tigers. Rarr!

Hands-down, the coolest display in any museum, anywhere.

Next on our list was the Starry Night exhibition at MoMA. Sold out. Darn it. But on our walk there, we passed the Ed Sullivan Theatre, where David Letterman tapes. Now I was getting way too into this tourist thing, and sweet-talked Snow into taking a photo of me under the marquee. See, my parents (hi, Mom and Dad!) are huge Letterman fans. In fact, before I moved to New York, my mom would watch the show and see shots of Broadway, then call me and ask, "Doesn't it make you want to be there?"

Then I walked around the corner to see if Rupert was around at Hello Deli.


Right before we snapped this photo, Rupert walked out. "Rupert!" I said, sticking my hand. He shook it. "I'm Rachel, it's nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you, too," he said. "Love you on the show!" "Thanks," he said and went inside to make more sandwiches.

Some people have real celeb sightings. I have Rupert.

Our final stop of the day was Rockefeller Center, on a totally boring stop at the NBC Store. As we walked by 30 Rock, I told Snow how I'd really wanted to go up to the Top of the Rock. A quick glance at the line, a "why not?" glance at me, and she said: Let's just go. A great friend.

We pose like tourists, too.

So worth the $20. Best views of the city.

I'm not sure when people move here why they feel automatically too cool to do these things. I can sit at home on a Saturday in Iowa the same way I can do here. In Iowa you can't go up 70-some stories and see all of New York City, though. Can't see any skeletons of T-Rexes either. Gotta take advantage of it while I'm here, I guess.

So a bit of this is for Jessica, who told me to make my New York Bucket List. This was part of it, girl. Hope you approve!