The Beahive

BYOB

So, I don't drink.  Not really ever.  I have had a sip on less than a handful of occasions, and the future seems to hold no booze for me.  Mostly I drink water.  Really, I barely drink anything else: I rarely have juices, I'm not so big on sodas, and I hate coffee.  Although, I'll admit I do occasionally drink a cup of tea (Irish Breakfast, please!).  Mostly social.  Social tea drinker.  Anyway, on the occasion [word of the day?] I do have a soda, my absolute favorite by leaps and bounds is Boylan's Black Cherry.  Drink it, it's so yummy.

WANTED: Housewares

A few things I've had my eye on lately.

From Anthropologie:

   

 

Gilt, Handheld Tea Bowls.

Can't have them.  I'll break them too easy, or, they'll live forever in my cabinets - too precious to use.

Jayne Sofa, Hawaii.

Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of this sofa's lines, or of the fabric on it's own.  But, for some reason, I think they are an unbelievable match.

From Rare Device:

Mason Vase in gray and yellow.  Sugar and Creamer Set.

Wow!  How innovative - I've never seen a sugar and creamer set quite like this one.

And, the Mason vessel is lovely, don't you think?  I just love the yellow.  It's rustic... but modern, too.  Plus, it's from Brooklyn, and I happen to have a thing for that borough.

Spotlight

My sophmore year at college, I attended a trip to the Mass MoCA with the Art Dept.  The showcased exhibit was Gregory Crewdson's Twilight photographs.  I had never heard of him before, and certainly wouldn't have called myself too much a fan of contemporary art.  But, with him, I was enthralled!

His photos are of suburban American life, but are very surreal: creepy.  I actually hadn't realized they were photographs until after the third or fourth one; I assumed they were realistic paintings - they couldn't have been photographs, they were too involved to have been staged on an ordinary street (I thought).  They are large-scale staged photographs.  And, they're often called 'production stills' because he approaches them much like a director to a film set.  The lighting in each one is probably the most stunning part, but it's the scenes that make them stand out.

Above:

Untitled, Winter 2005

Digital C-print

(Vanity from Beneath the Roses)

And

Detail

Untitled, Winter 2005

(Vanity from Beneath the Roses)

64.25" x 94.25"

Below:

Untitled, 2001

Digital C-print

(Ophelia from Twilight)

48" x 60"

Tragedy

Prayers and thoughts to the Virginia Tech community. 

Smallest, Coolest

I was thinking of entering AT's Smallest Coolest Contest.  I decided against it, since all the apartments featured so far are 1000 times cooler than mine, though not necessarily smaller.  They're all so magazine-worthy!  I started preparing my entry, though.  So, to let it not go to waste, I thought I'd share the floorplan I made in MS Paint - I'm so proud of myself, hahah.

The Beahive Shop

So, I opened up an Etsy shop: The Beahive Shop.  It's empty for now, but I signed up anyway since it is free until you actually list something for sale.  It's for motivational purposes.  If I actually have somewhere to sell my things, I'll actually make them, you know?

Compounded.

Well, Easter has passed.  Our trip to NY went... okay. Reilly - apparently - hates puppies.  Mona had an absolute ball nipping at his ears, and rolling around him, taking his toys and laying in his bed; Reilly had a miserable holiday hiding from her and growling at her, and occasionally barking at her.  I'm sure, though, that they'll get along fine once she's grown out of the whole rambunctious puppy-thing.  I got only one picture of the two of them together.

This past weekend, I had a visitor!  My friend Caitlin came by bus from NY to see me and to meet Mona.  We ended up, by chance, staying in both Friday and Saturday nights and cooking for ourselves and a guest (a different third party joined us on each night).  And, if you don't mind, I'd love to tell you about our dinners.  They were each so close to unbelievable - especially for a couple of novices.

Friday had begun as a Mediterranean-style idea.  I was thinking stuffed pork chops with feta and pesto, some kind of a rice or couscous side and a greek salad.  But, it turned into a night of tag-team cooking and experimenting and included some green wine.  When we finally sat for our meal at around 9:30, we had quite a spread: feta and pesto stuffed (delicious) pork chops for the two non-vegie's; a yummy tomato, cucumber, and feta salad; a stuffed artichoke each, which had a tasty stuffing, but were altogether a flop; and a plate of sliced, breaded, and fried-up eggplants (yuck), which ended up being thrown out.  But it was fun!

Saturday had a slightly different crowd, with a much different dynamic.  I did most of the cooking, with some help in preparations from my friends.  Everything was a lot less rowdy.  We ended up having grilled steaks with some compound butter melted on top.  Spectacular!  Really, there is absolutely nothing better than a chive/garlic/sage/rosemary/whatever (we had chive) compounded butter on a medium-rare steak.  Nothing.  We amended the meal with crispy roasted asparagus (yum!) and a big big salad with Brianna's dressings: Ginger Mandarin and the New American dressing.  Too much yum.

Everyone loved Mona, of course, and Caitlin took a video of her on her camera playing with Genie from Staten Island, without anyone knowing.  It's poor lighting, and sideways, but it's still a video of Mona in my living room!

Although, we didn't only cook and entertain ourselves with a puppy.  We shopped too.  It was such a nice day Saturday, almost 60 degrees, and sunny.  Totally unlike today: our Nor'Easter has arrived.  So we trotted aroud town.  I bought, and am thrilled with, some new shoes.  They're Vans Slip-Ons.  Checkered (throw back to high school, no?), only not rudeboy black-white, they're multi.  I love them on my feet.  I haven't worn Vans in years and years...

A bit downhearted.

Some exciting, life-changing news came my way about two weeks ago.  It was an offer not to be refused, and while unofficial, my family was beginning to adjust to the idea of moving from New York to Dublin, Ireland.  Probably moreso than anyone else, I was the most excited.  But, today the final word came in, and the life-changers are moving in a different direction.  I'm... bummed.  The offer may come in again in two years or so, but God only knows where I'll be then.

Letting me eat cake

In Stop&Shop tonight, I spotted a Marie Antoinette DVD.  I couldn't resist.  I had been dying to see it, but never had.  I just watched it.  Interesting.  Beautiful, for sure.  But lackluster.

Mona and I are doing great.  I love her!  She makes my life better.  She is, sadly, not housetrained.  But, she is having intestinal problems which makes her harder to housetrain - more unpredictible bathroom breaks, and more frequent pottying.  She is on a "bland diet" (boiled chicken and rice) and a perscription medication for the next 10 days.  Oh well, it's only been three weeks.  We've been to the vet twice, with another appt. in 3 weeks for a Lyme vaccine booster.  She's all rabied-up and rarin' to go.  We've registered for an obedience class series at the RISPCA beginning on Monday; I can't wait until I can get her to behave on leash.

Tomorrow, she meets Reilly, my parent's dog.  Also, perhaps less importantly, she meets my parents and siblings.  I keep asking her if she's as excited as I am for her to meet Reilly, but she just cocks her head and wags her tail.  I will probably take lots of photos of the two of them - a big old Chocolate Lab, and a little young mutt.  I say "little," but she's doubled in size since I brought her home.  29lbs tuesday as opposed to 15 lbs when I got her!  Some of the ladies at the vet's office speculated she might have Great Dane in her!!  Oh my goodness. 

I plan on making her a cotton leash after we return from "Easter in Brooklyn 2007."  Maybe it will turn out so well, and I'll make bunches, and I'll sell them, and they will become the proverbial 'hotcakes', and I will be the new it Etsy Queen.

Nah.