The World is My Oyster

Link ♡ Love

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 14:36:00 +0000

Beautiful watercolors of literature's greatest heroines {Brain Pickings}

For the dapper Gentleman {Cool Material}

Writing advice from famous authors {Twenty Two Words}

Flying puppies and kittens. And the hilarious behind the scenes footage {You Tube}

I need this Typography Scrabble in my life {Cool Material}

A cool use for vintage spoons {Apartment Therapy}

You'll need headphones for this {WTF Evolution}

DIY jewelry display {Henry Happened}

Back to France and Italy!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 14:33:00 +0000

Growing up, I always spent the summer in Italy (July) and France (August) visiting my relatives, since almost all my parents' families are still in Europe.

Our newly renovated beach house in Santa Marinella.

I tried to avoid taking it for granted--recognizing that it was indeed an incredible privilege not only to get to travel every summer, but to get to spend so much time with my loved ones--but when I moved to Italy after college, it became a little less of a summer adventure and more of my day to day life.

The mini lemon grove in the back yard

Green tomatoes!

When I left three years ago I had no idea I wouldn't be back for three years. But with my grad school internship taking me to Mali in the summer of 2011, and having to spend the summer of 2012 getting my shit together for the post-graduation job search, three years slipped by and all of a sudden I hadn't seen all of those people in forever!

Baby pomegranates.

Ancient Roman ruins, covered in kitties!

It was imperative that I go back this summer, especially since my cousins' children are growing up so fast and some of them are even new (born in the last couple of years) that I hadn't even met yet!

Spiaggia di Santa Severa.

Il Castello di Santa Severa.

So I bit the bullet, bought a prohibitively expensive multi-destination flight to Europe in the peak of the summer season, and finally got to spend some much-needed quality time with my families in France and Italy.

Kids playing on the rope swing I used to play with as a kid.

It was an absolutely spectacular vacation that felt much longer than it actually was (that never happens!). By the end I was tan, rested, and even with all the food I ate, in much better shape than when I left!

Ada playing with a toy cash register that's been kicking around since the 1970s!

Italy is just so therapeutic :)

Strumming some tunes after dinner.

A watercolor sunset on the way to Civitavecchia

I got to see almost every single one of my cousins (which is super rare, since there are 15+ of us!) and a bunch of friends I hadn't seen in years.

Waiting for our pizza!

A giant statue of The Kiss in Civitavecchia.

I didn't make it to Rome, but this vacation was more about reconnecting with people than re-visiting a city I already know really well.

The most giant mojito in all the land!

The view of the garden from inside the veranda.

And thanks to a rigorous marathon training schedule I had to stick to, I actually discovered a lot more of my beach town that was totally new to me!

The town is so small that I had to run around it and zig zag across it just to finish a 10 mile run, so it was kind of a fun adventure to go run-exploring all around, seeing the beautiful 1920s beach villas.

We even took a couple of mini road trips to have dinner in neighboring towns and do a little bit of country site-seeing in Lazio and Tuscany.

The cousins are starting to add up!

My cousin Paolo's family name is Ceri, and we discovered a little medieval fortress town called Ceri, so we went to have dinner there.

The altar in an old church in Ceri. It seems to be glowing!

The restaurant had this amazing balcony overlooking the valley below and they set up a huge table so we could have dinner al fresco. It was splendid!

A big family dinner on the balcony overlooking the valley around the medieval town of Ceri.

Cotton Candy.

We had a lot of giant family dinners at home--eating on ping pong tables, which are the only tables big enough to fit us all!

Another big family dinner.

Trying to mount a sheet as a screen for the projector.

My aunts and uncles even managed to get us in a group for a couple of group photos, which we surprisingly have very few of.

Smile!

Once more, with feeling!

Another evening we took a little mini road trip to Tuscany, for an evening in Orbetello, a darling beach town on l'Argentario.

Sunset behind l'Argentario, in Tuscany.

Streets of Orbetello.

But Santa Marinella wasn't without its own excitement! The Friday before I left there was a soccer tournament in which some of my cousins and friends were playing.

Santa Marinella Soccer Tournament!

ALL the gelato!

And another family dinner and group photo, for good measure!

Another group photo, for good measure.

Italians aren't big drinkers, but a sacred tradition is the Aperitivo--a drink and some snacks before dinner. I definitely enjoyed a lot of Prosecco and olives while I was there.

Pre-pizza Aperitivo.

5 Euro glasses of Lagavulin 16. Practically giving it away!

And I managed to sneak in a little bit of Whisky too :)

Having my cousin with her adorable children meant lots of time splashing around in the water playing with them. But I also managed to get in a few long swims, which was oh so relaxing!

My cousin's adorable children.

I've been gone for less than a week and I already miss it so much!

Our house, from the garden.

There's no way I'm waiting another three years to go back!

p.s. Stay tuned for photos from France!

Budapest, Belated: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 17:26:00 +0000

So many beautiful architectural details!

By the end of the week, the river had started to drain back down. Here's the previously flooded ticket book, with only a little water left in the bottom.

1920s geometric architecture.

Tiled roof over the Grand Market.

Inside the Grand Market.

This house had a gorgeous mural on the outside.

The Grand Market from outside.

Foretastes: the new appetizers!

Gorgeous Art Nouveu detailing.

The Parliament.

Heading up to the Fisherman's Bastion.

Parliament from above.

Matthias Church, behind the Fisherman's Bastion

Floating cloud cherubs!

Fisherman's Bastion by night.

Dawn on the Chain Bridge.

At the Train Station, Vienna bound!

Hungarian Countryside.

When I got back from Vienna I had a half a day in Budapest before my flight, so I took the funicular up the hill to visit the Royal Palace, now a museum.

This odd Grand Bazar set was in the basement of the restaurant I had lunch.

I wish I'd had more time, but this means I have a reason to go back and visit again!

Stay tuned for photos from Vienna, one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Budapest, Belated: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 17:14:00 +0000

About six weeks ago I went to Budapest for a work conference but I never got around to posting photos!

It was my first time visiting, and even though work kept me pretty busy, I managed to steal away to visit the city a bit and take a lot of photos!

Hungary is a delightful mix of Eastern and Western Europe. Every time I got distracted into thinking I might be wandering around France or Italy I'd see something distinctly soviet or hear someone speaking Hungarian--which is quite an earful of a language!

But the architecture was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the people were so so friendly (language barriers aside). I'm so glad I had the chance to visit, if only for five days.

When we arrived there had been a week or so of historic flooding, which you could clearly see from our hotel, which was on the banks of the Danube.

There was so much beautiful detailing on all the buildings, most of which were built at the turn of the 20th century.

Because of the flooding they had to build special platforms to get to the boats, since all the docks were under water!

The pedestrian underpass was totally flooded!

A ticket booth, totally underwater!

Cold sour cherry soup for dinner!

Beautiful sunset on the Danube.

The State Opera House

I visited the House of Terror, the former Nazi and Communist Headquarters, now a museum. It was really difficult to see all the horrors that were committed--especially visiting the basement, in which original cells and torture chambers were left untouched--but it was extremely educational, and I learned a lot about that part of history.

An abandoned castle in the middle of the city.

A gorgeous sunset over Chain Bridge.

The palace.

Reagan going for a walk!

Stay tuned for Part II!

Daddy's 70th Birthday and the Amazing Laptop Cake!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 15:05:00 +0000

Yesterday was my dad's 70th birthday, so we decided to throw him a little party to celebrate.

He's usually not one for pomp and circumstance, so he wanted a small affair with only close friends, and "absolutely no presents," as he said.

But his friends got around this arbitrary rule by giving him the best non-present present they could think of: a laptop cake with my dad's actual Wikipedia page on it!

My dad is university professor in computer engineering and quantum physics, and apparently he's the only faculty member in his department to have his own Wikipedia page, so you can imagine how fun this was for him.

It looked so real!

They even got the Wikipedia page to look like a real website--look at the detail on the Wikipedia globe!

The ironic thing is that they made a Mac, not knowing that my father has been a life-long disdainer of all things Apple. At least until recently, when he bought an iPad!

My dad, pulling his usual antics, donned a pair of safety goggles just for laughs to cut the cake.

And with that little slice, the computer illusion was gone.

But it wasn't just visually amazing, it was also delicious! A hazelnut cake with Nutella meringue frosting, it was the star of the show!

His friends got the cake from Amanda Oakleaf Cakes in Winthrop,

a bakery that specializes in custom cakes for special occasions.

I highly recommend going to them for your novelty cake needs... just don't eat the fondant!

Another Day at the Races!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:17:00 +0000

Last Saturday was the 2013 Belmont Stakes--New York's premier horse race, and the third race in the Triple Crown (following the Kentucky Derby and the Maryland Preakness).

So bedecked in our pretty dresses and hats we packed a picnic, got on the train, and trekked out to Queens, to see some horses!

The whole day was a fantastic success!

Several of us bet--and won!--on horses, and even when we lost we managed to have fun.

Phil, our token dapper Gentleman.

Randomly a couple of guys I work with were there too!

We even managed to sneak in a birthday surprise for Andrea!

Who really was surprised!

The winning ticket!

What had threatened to be a grey rainy day ended up a splendid sunny day!

And finally, at the end of the night, it was time to put the hats to bed.

Hope to see you there next year!

A Sneak Peek at Beautiful Budapest!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:14:00 +0000

I'm in Budapest for work this week, which is extremely exciting, because I'd never been before!

I'm swamped with both the conference I'm here to organize--and another concurrent deadline I have--so I won't have time to properly blog about it until I get back. But I thought in the mean time I'd give you a sneak peek at this beautiful city!

Stay tuned for more!

Mintastic!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:50:00 +0000

A couple of months ago I started on a sewing project--a mint peplum top and pencil skirt that when worn together look like a peplum dress--but after finishing the top, I never got around to making the skirt.

Then I found an amazing mint hat, which I'll be wearing to the Belmont tomorrow, so I decided to finish the outfit to match and wear all mint!

Last night I stayed up past my bedtime, catching up on Game of Thrones and finally finishing this skirt!

At first glance it looks like a dress...

but it's actually separates, so I can wear them individually. Win!

Both top and skirt are entirely lined in mint silk,

with pinked and bias bound seams.

There was a good deal of hand sewing, but with two seasons of Game of Thrones to catch up on, I kept myself busy. And there's something nice about knowing your garment is so well-finished on the inside.

With my matching hat and shoes, I'm all ready for a monochromatic day at the races!

Now I just have to hope it won't rain tomorrow!

Luckily my hat is big enough that even if it does, I'll stay dry :)

Manhattanhenge

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:59:00 +0000

Last night was Manhattanhenge, one of the two days of the year when the sunset lines up perfectly with Manhattan's grid.

"What will future civilizations think of Manhattan Island when they dig it up and find a carefully laid out network of streets and avenues? Surely the grid would be presumed to have astronomical significance, just as we have found for the pre-historic circle of large vertical rocks known as Stonehenge, in the Salisbury Plain of England. For Stonehenge, the special day is the summer solstice, when the Sun rises in perfect alignment with several of the stones, signaling the change of season.

For Manhattan, a place where evening matters more than morning, that special day comes twice a year. For 2013 they fall on May 28th, and July 13th, when the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough's grid. A rare and beautiful sight. These two days happen to correspond with Memorial Day and Baseball's All Star break. Future anthropologists might conclude that, via the Sun, the people who called themselves Americans worshiped War and Baseball." Read more here.

My roommate Kim and I had no desire to go fight the throngs of amateur photographers on 34th St. (apparently one of the best streets to see it on, especially with the Empire State Building), but luckily our street, West 95th, is a cross street with a clear view over the Hudson River.

So we walked down a couple of blocks and snapped some great shorts of the sun setting between the buildings.

When the sun was all gone, we took a walk down to Riverside Park, and watched the colors change over the Hudson River, punctuated with sailboats and framed by the majestic Washington Bridge.

I love New York.

Road Trip Through Virginia!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:48:00 +0000

This weekend I went down to Washington D.C. to visit my friend Paige for Memorial Day weekend, and we had so much fun! I caught up with old friends, celebrated a birthday, said bye to other friends who are moving away (to Thailand!), and ate all the delicious food!

Since I was there for three whole days, on Sunday we decided to take a little road trip into Virginia, for the Delaplane Strawberry Festival.

It was a clear, gorgeous day, and everything was so green!

On the way to Delaplane we noticed a few food trucks and tiny farmer's market by the side of the road and stopped to get some lunch: a delicious build-your-own lobster roll!

Then we were back on our way, through beautiful Middleburg.

The festival itself was just so picture perfect, with a little train, a red and white tent, and so many strawberries!

Pretty peonies!

After buying some strawberries, we went to this quaint white barn where they were selling strawberry shortcake with ice cream and whipped cream! Yum!

We got some and went to enjoy it on a grassy hill.

These three brothers eating rocket pops, in their matching red white and blue hats, were adorable.

We saw homemade kettlecorn made from scratch,

in a big kettle corn vat!

There was even a peanut roaster!

On our way to the petting zoo, we saw the cutest, fluffiest 13-week-old German Shepard puppy!

Then we saw some cows and chickens.

Triplets!

Waffle the cow!

Pony rides and tractor rides!

Beautiful old barn.

Paige and me!

Nothin' Fancy, the Bluegrass band!

After the Strawberry Festival we headed back toward Middleburg, stopping at a county fair on the way,

where we tried on awesome hats,

and bought some vintage bangles.

We stopping in Middleburg for a little shop-seeing and dinner.

We went antiquing,

and to the Fun Shop,

and to Home Farm,

where we bought delicious shortbread to have with our fresh strawberries at home later.

I even bought myself a fancy mint hat for the Belmont next month!

After a long day of walking around we stopped at the Red Horse Tavern for delicious southern BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, and a glass of wine.

Hats and wine, the perfect end to a perfect day!

Fascinating!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:24:00 +0000

Saturday, June 8th is the Belmont Stakes, New York's version of the Kentucky Derby, and a day of big hats, beautiful horses, and lots of seersucker.

The last two years, I rocked my giant hat (winning a self-awarded prize for Biggest Hat at the Belmont), but this year I want to try something a little different.

My friend Rhiannon will be visiting that weekend, and we thought we'd up the ante and not only go with fascinators, but make them ourselves!

We all know DIY is kind of my thing, but I've never dabbled in millinery, so this will be my first time trying my hand at hat making!

There's a notions shop in the garment district that carries everything we'll need (straw hat bases, ribbons, feathers, pins, jewels) but before I go I'll need a little design inspiration, so I turned to Etsy to see what's what.

Steering clear of the bridal fascinators (and there are a lot), these are the ones I found that struck my fancy.

A 1920s vibe

A nod to Alice in Wonderland

Tiffany Blue

Dramatic Black

A Widdle Bunny Wabbit

This gorgeous latte-colored straw ribbon

I do love the look of a traditional hat with feathers and bows, but there's something to the novelty of sticking a fur bunny on a felt dessert plate and calling it a hat...

Which one is your favorite?

The Brooklyn Half Marathon!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:18:00 +0000

This weekend was the New York Road Runners Brooklyn Half Marathon, which I ran with Andrea!

On Thursday we went to pick up our bibs at the Expo, which was in DUMBO, in between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

The sunset was so pretty!

There were fun signs,

food and beer,

and they even printed out your Instagram photos if you hashtagged New Balance (the official sponsor)!

We got some photos with our bibs in front of the pre-party sign!

And watched the beautiful sunset over the city.

The moon caught in the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge!

After sundown they even had fireworks!

On race day, we got up bright and early and were in the corrals by 7am.

Here I am with Andrea and Clay, all ready to go!

Cute shirts!

After doing one and a half loops of Prospect Park (so many hills!) we ran south on Ocean Parkway, all the way down to Coney Island!

Here we are running down the freeway ramp.

It was so long and so straight and kind of boring!

Finally we made it to the end of the Alphabet!

And onto the Coney Island Boardwalk!!

Finishers medals!

This time I finished in just over 2:00 hours, running a 9:09 pace. It's not quite a personal record (I ran the last half in 1:58) but it was close enough! It definitely felt like an accomplishment!

We were pretty exhausted!

Then it was time for carnival food and fun!

At Nathan's I got a lobster roll, a shrimp basket, and a root beer. Yum yum!

Then we explored the park a little bit.

And decided to go for a ride on the Wonder Wheel!

You could see tiny Manhattan from the top of the Wonder Wheel!

(That tiny pointy thing in the distance is the new Freedom Tower)

We had our fortunes told by the old grandmother (mine was something about how I talk too much),

and saw some old, very politically incorrect games!

I love all the vintage, hand-painted signage all around the park!

Then we stopped at the sweets stand for some funnel cake!

And enjoyed it on the boardwalk.

It was getting time to go, so we made our way toward the subway and saw some odd signs along the way.

Bye bye Coney Island!

Why My Maman is the Best Maman in the World

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:10:00 +0000

Every year, my mother gives me more and more reasons to keep adding to this list and re-posting it!

Why My Maman is the Best Maman in the World

She never used to wake us up early on the weekends. Instead, she would let us sleep in, and make us pancakes almost every Sunday, and yummy hot chocolate every morning before school;
She introduced me to all my favorite music - Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Pink Martini, The Gypsy Kings, Getz & Gilberto;
She made sure we grew up speaking three languages, even if it meant having to do boring French "homework" while we were on vacation in France;
She taught me to cook, bake, and to love doing it, all while keeping it healthy;
She brought us on so many adventures - Mexico, Arizona, Spain, the French and Italian Alps, Canada, Provence, the Cote d'Azure, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Paris, Vermont, and so many more;
She taught me the importance of being honest, not just with others, but with yourself;
She'll randomly surprise me with little sartorial gifts, while at the same time keeping me in check when I just have to have that new pair of shoes;
She has always encouraged me to do whatever makes me happy, and has wholeheartedly supported every decision I've made;
She (slowly, but surely) taught me the importance of financial responsibility, both by being stern (when I was in college and needed it), and being encouraging (now that I have a real grown-up job);
She gave me the opportunity to explore everything that piqued my interest at some point or another during my childhood--ballet, choir, musical theater, sculpture, piano, ceramics, drawing, gymnastics, cross country running, crew--just in case it was something I would end up loving and wanted to do forever;
She makes silly pronunciation mistakes in English and is still a good sport about letting us poke fun at her French accent;
We wear the same size in clothes and shoe, and if she has something I really love she'll let me steal it :). If she really loves it too, she'll buy me one of my own;
She taught me how to fold a fitted sheet;
She helped me arrive at the realization that it's better to have one great, timeless item of clothing, than a bunch of "meh" disposable pieces;
And she helped me pick out those great, timeless items;
She gave us crash courses in table manners before going to visit my grandmother in France, and was never exasperated when she had to do it all over again the next summer,
She taught me that looking put together is important;
But also that there's nothing better getting messy and dirty while doing something fun.
She taught me how to properly set a table for a dinner party (even with multiple forks and knives!);
She taught me about wine;
And that sometimes it's ok to pop a bottle of champagne on a Wednesday, just because;
She's always willing to have a homebody night on the couch with a yummy dinner and a movie, even when we've made plans to go to the cinema;
If I haven't been home in too long, and work is keeping me busy, she'll take an impromptu trip down to New York to make sure we don't go more than a couple of months without seeing each other;
And when she comes to visit, she practically knows the city better than I do--taking me to all the latest plays, restaurants, and museum shows;
She taught me how to make crepes. And then repeated the recipe from memory to me, every time I called to ask her what ingredient I was forgetting;
She gave me her beautiful green eyes, and petite frame;
She has showed me that living a life full of compassion and generosity towards others, even if it occasionally means cutting back on something for yourself, is the most satisfying kind of life.

I love you, Maman!

Happy Mother's Day!

Boston ♥

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:55:00 +0000

Home ♥

National Sibling Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Yesterday was National Sibling Day, so--having the best brother in the world--I thought I would take a little walk down memory lane with Lucas.

He's almost three years younger than me, so young enough that I vaguely remember him being born (mostly being jealous that now I didn't have my mom 100% of the time anymore), but close enough to my age that we spent most of our childhoods playing together (Ok, so maybe a lot of the time I was being a bossy big sister, but mostly we were having fun, I swear. Even when I gave him haircuts and made him dress up in girl clothes.)

At the risk of getting sentimental, my little brother Lucas is my favorite person in the world. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him. He's one of the smartest people I know, so it's nice having him around to teach me stuff, and he's patient when I ask him to explain the same things over and over again. He's funny, kind, witty, and very stylish! (All those years making him play dress up with me as kids really paid off :)

And he was an adorable little kid!

Happy Sibling Day, Lucas!

Love you! ♥

Fancy Fabrics!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:47:00 +0000

As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, my sewing machine is back from the shop!

In addition to the mint peplum outfit I'm currently undertaking:

I also went a little crazy and bough a crap load of fabric to make some fun work outfits!

With this gorgeous 1930s-inspired blouse pattern in mind:

I got two different kinds of chiffon -- a gorgeous dark forest green, and a shimmery coral:

As well as a black chiffon and a white and black polka dot charmeuse, with which I'll make two blouses with contrasting trim (one black with polka dot trim, and one polka dot with back trim).

Then I also got some fabric to make a couple of 1960s-inspired shift dresses.

This gorgeous teal wool gabardine (right) and a matching lining (left):

And a smoky olive green wool gabardine (right) with a matching lining (left):

Then, because they were on sale, I also got a gorgeous beige and white printed silk organza:

And this shimmery gold charmeuse:

Not sure what to make with those yet. I'm thinking maybe an architectural blouse with the organza and a swingy summer dress with the charmeuse, but I'm open to suggestions! Thoughts?

Can't wait to cut into all this gorgeous fabric and seriously jazz up my work wardrobe!

A Fanciful Weekend With Paige!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:47:00 +0000

This weekend my friend Paige came up from DC for a whirlwind 36-hour visit.

As per usual, we had a bunch of places we wanted to eat, so we built the weekend around our culinary adventures through the city.

Saturday morning we started at our usual Bomboloni, with Italian doughnuts and lattes.

Raspberry, Nutella, and Lemon Paradise bomboloni.

Then we took ourselves to Brooklyn for a morning stroll through Brooklyn Flea, but we got off in Boerum Hill so that we could walk down Atlantic Ave and pop into all the cute shops and florists on the way.

Boerum Hill metro mosaic.

Colored polka dot milk glass planter.

Brooklyn Flea, which in the summer is outside in Williamsburg, is indoors in the winter in the old bank building at Atlantic Pacific, in downtown Brooklyn. The old building has gorgeous vaulted ceilings and old windows.

Then for lunch we went down to the basement to sample the best of Smorgasburg, a Brooklyn flea food market. Everything was so delicious!

Lobster mac and cheese, a spicy tuna taco, a short rib taco, and ginger beers.

Then Saturday afternoon we met up with our friend Amy and walked around Park Slope, browsing vintage shops and eventually relaxing for a little mani pedi. Paige and I got complementary spring colors!

coral + mint

Then we went to the West Village for dinner, and as a result of having forgotten to make reservations at the place we wanted to go to, we ended up discovering a delightful little Italian bistro where we had some yummy seafood and wine.

After dinner, as a pre-birthday celebration for Paige, we went to see Le Scandal Cabaret, New York's longest running Burlesque variety show. With a unicycle-riding juggler, a contortionist, and a bone fide Guiness Book of World Record sword swallower, we were in for an evening of solid entertainment!

The next morning we were back in the West Village, perusing our favorite bookstore before we met up with my roommate Kim for brunch at Bosie, our favorite tea parlor.

Then we took a leisurely walk back up to the subway, stopping in some shops on the way to see the pretty mint clothes.

We also discovered a new Swedish candy shop with all the prettiest cups and bowls!

Then it was time for Paige to go to the airport, so we bid each other adieu and made plans for our next reunion in the Spring.

Weekly(ish) Photo Essay: Central Park Under The Snow

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:43:00 +0000

On Saturday, the day before my race, I went for a short two mile run around the reservoir in Central Park.

It was overcast, but it didn't start snowing until I left the house.

Within minutes, everything was blanketed in giant white snowflakes.

It was kind of annoying for a run--the snow kept getting in my eyes--but it was so beautiful.

I kept stopping around the reservoir to take photos.

The ducks were huddling together in the water.

Everything looked so magical.

I'm so ready for spring, but if winter stays so lovely, I won't complain.

NYC Half Marathon!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:17:00 +0000

Yesterday was my second time running the NYC Half Marathon (and my third time running a half marathon ever) and it went super great!

It's usually on St. Patty's day weekend (this year right on St. Patty's day) so green is definitely part of the style. Not sure why the walls look green though...

Two of my roommates, Shannon and Amber, and our friend Elizabeth all ran it with me.

Shannon and I got lucky with the lottery and got into the race officially, while Amber and Elizabeth didn't, but decided to "rogue run" the race anyway.

Shannon and Amber are training for a full marathon in Paris in April, so being already at mile 20 of their training, this 13-mile half wasn't a big deal, but it was still fun to have them!

We're so green!

We got there at the ungodly hour of 7am when the sun was rising,

but as we waited to start it got more light, although not warmer; it was freezing!

We started off with a 6-mile loop of Central Park and so by the time we ran down 7th Ave through Times Square my toes had defrosted and we were about halfway done.

My selfie skills, while running, are not excellent!

By the time we crossed over to the West Side Highway, the stretch between miles 8 and 13, the sky had cleared and it was a crisp, sunny, beautiful morning.

At 20k we crossed under into a tunnel for a little while, which was fun but also a little bit claustrophobic.

When we came out of the tunnel we only had 800 meters to go, which I sprinted!

I finished the race in 1 hour 58 minutes, which was 2 minutes less than my goal time and puts me squarely into a sub-two time! My average pace was exactly 9:00 minutes/mile!

That's a huge improvement from our time for last year's half, which was 2 hours 10 minutes, at a 9:56 pace. I shaved almost an entire minute off each mile! (Although last year our goal was to finish in less than 2 hours 30 minutes, so we beat our goal then, too!)

Yay for personal accomplishments!

Showing off our medals in the subway home.

Rocking a thermal cape on the walk home.

When I got home and unloaded all my stuff it was like the race had vomited all over my bed!

I wish I could pat myself on the back for a job well done and take a break, but I'm already a couple of weeks into my training for a 15k in April and the Brooklyn Half in May, both of which I'm running with Andrea, so I'll have to get back to it this week.

And then we'll only have about 6 weeks off in May and June before our training for the NYC Marathon starts in July! Long runs are mostly on Saturday mornings, so we've effectively kissed my Friday nights on the town goodbye for the next nine months.

It'll be tough, but I'm looking forward to it!

NYC Marathon, Here I Come!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:30:00 +0000

This is actually happening!!!

But before I get carried away with my big race in November, I have two half marathons to worry about (one in May and one this weekend!) and a 15k in April. So I don't want to get ahead of myself.

But still...

I'm SO excited. It'll be my very first marathon!

Wish me luck :)

Happy Pi Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Happy Pi Day!

Today, March 14th (or 3/14) is Pi Day, as pi is 3.14...

And because of this awesome little mirror trick,

{via}

and because Pi is a homophone for Pie, it's also a day to celebrate pies!

Or Pi Pies.

{via}

I think I'm going to celebrate by eating some pie.

You?

It's Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:13:00 +0000

My sewing machine is finally back from the shop! Yay!

A couple of months ago the spring popped out of the tension wheel again, which is a small problem but makes the machine impossible to use. But between my birthday, my roommate's birthday, and everything that's been happening at work, I never had time to bring it to get fixed.

I finally brought it last weekend and picked it up yesterday and I can't wait to start sewing again!

I bought some mint wool gabardine to make this peplum top and pencil skirt set, which looks like a peplum dress but can be worn as separates. Although I think I'll shorten the back of the peplum so it's the same length all around--I'm not crazy about the longer back.

Or this gorgeous bow blouse--just perfect for work!

Maybe a versatile sheath dress? I'm thinking 3/4 sleeves and cap sleeves!

Have any another sewing project suggestions for me?

Happy International Women's Day, Ladies!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:52:00 +0000

In Italy it's tradition for men to give women bunches of Mimosa
{via}

March 8th is International Women's Day.

Happy day to all of you ladies!

It's a day to not only celebrate the achievements of women worldwide, but also to take stock of how far we have yet to go in terms of ensuring equality for women.

In the wake of the passing of the Violence Against Women Act (finally!)--which was held up because of conservative objections to protections for undocumented, Native American, and LGBT women--it's clear that we're far from having equal rights and protection, even in this country, let alone in even more repressive societies.

This week I went to an event, a panel discussion on the 50th anniversary of The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan, a book that in 1963 took this country by storm. The takeaway from the discussion was that no matter how much progress has been made in the last 50 years--and things are monumentally different now than they were back then, just think of Mad Men!--we're still only halfway through the movement. And some women are still at the beginning.

But today is a day for celebration; despite the opposition it faced (and the subsequent hypocrisy by those who opposed it), the bill did pass, and this month the UN is convening the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which is prioritizing eliminating and preventing violence against women.

So lets toast to the traction being gained by women advocates around the world, and do our part to make their struggle a success:

Planned Parenthood

Equality Now

National Organization for Women

Gender Based Organizations in NYC and DC

Volunteer in NYC

Mint Statement Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:32:00 +0000

This weekend my lovely Maman came to visit and even though she was only here for 36 hours, we managed to pack in quite a punch of a weekend!

Between trying two amazing restaurants, going shopping, seeing two exhibits at the Met, getting brunch, and discovering an amazing French Brasserie on the Upper East Side for afternoon coffee and dessert, we managed to find the time to hit some beads and notions shops in midtown.

My mom was looking for buttons for a coat she's making, and on our way home we inevitably got distracted at a bead store.

This beautiful string of turquoise stones was half off, so we collected supplies to make it into a gorgeous two-strand statement necklace.

Needle in hand, I sat down to watch a couple of episodes of Mad Men and the necklace was done before I knew it.

Here it is, styled on my mannequin (who has yet to be named) with a matching mint dress she's been rocking lately.

I can't wait for Spring, so that I can wear this look, too!

Ode to the Weekend Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Julia) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:24:00 +0000

I did some decorating at work this week...

I haven't had a particularly tough work week--it was a short week and things have been calm after the move--but I've been battling a really bad head cold and it's really sapped all my energy.

I'm so looking forward to this weekend.

Hopefully I'll have time to rest up a bit, despite my plans for a movie lady date tonight, an early 11 mile training run tomorrow, a Broadway show with friends from out of town, a birthday party, brunch with my roommate's visiting family, a haircut, and an Oscar party.

I'm tired just thinking about it all! But I know it'll be fun.

In the mean time, here are some fun/awesome things that have kept me entertained today while I've been ~~milking a slow day at work~~ super busy.

***

The New Jersey DMV refused to let this pastafarian wear a colander on his head for license photo. Fascists.

The proliferation of ARVs in South Africa has increased the region's life expectancy by more than a decade!

In case you didn't know, storing bullets in the oven is a bad idea.

Reflections on writing with pen and paper.

Wine Pairings for Dummies.

I've always wondered!

This woman makes one-of-a-kind toys from your children's illustrations! Amazing!

I need one of these. Stat.

***

Have an amazing weekend!