Sunday, March 27, 2011

my nose is froze...

...and my toes is froze. Well, they would be if I were actually wearing what I've been looking at today.






These are from the sundance website! Who knew? This girl knew. That's who.

That Robert Redford has an amazing shoe buyer. The clothes are so what one would expect to find in Colorado.

Like this.


But then...a hidden gem?


Love the idea of a linen moto jacket. The styling however, does not suit me at all.

This is much more me. Yum. Helmut Lang.


Linen and leather? Yes please.  Even more me, means more Helmut Lang.





Sigh.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

wait. what?


If this kid wasn't a red head-it could be the spawn of ely james. Crazy! Click on the picture to read about the Williamsburg invasion.

I also found this today. I'm a little torn on the anger of this debate about babies in bars. I feel that as generations are getting older, they seem less willing to alter their lives for a baby-where that used to be the norm.

ely james and I ran into a dude he used to play music with, who now has a one year old. We were at a restaurant/bar. If he had had his baby on him then the tie-in would have been perfect. Alas, not everything works out perfectly in story telling.

He did say he had a hard time realizing 'it' wasn't all about him any more. 'It' being everything...that the baby takes precedence over his diva musician ways.

Now, 'it' is all about his baby. Every picture he takes, is of her. She is an acceptable form of narcissism. Look at the amazing thing that HE created. So really, 'it' is still all about him. That's ok. None of this really matters to me. Until he's at the bar with his baby, that is. Then I might be annoyed. But only if it's after 5pm. Otherwise, I obviously don't give a shit.

Friday, March 25, 2011

free credit report dot com


ely james once asked if the 'drummer' in these commercials is a real drummer. He's using a traditional grip. To those in the drumming world, this grip means his education is bigger than just picking up some sticks and hitting things. He could just be an actor with a coach, right? So, I started to wonder. Who the heck are these guys?

nice belt buckle-dude on the left.
click the picture to read about
how annoying 'free' trials are

 There is plenty of information about the commercials. About how the service is bogus, it isn't free, the band is fake, and they were fired. There was even plenty about the guy in front. A typical way to write about a band, these days, is to ignore that it is actually a band of people. Oh well, can't change how the world sees that one. I had to dig a little to find anything about the other two guys. This blog post led me to this:


The drummer! Mario Telaro. I don't think ely james will like this but I think he will appreciate that I tracked the drummer down.

The real reason I got on this kick is because I had to get my credit report to the co-op board. I was told to just save as a pdf. I thought, if I'm being asked to do this, then it must be something that is done. I can figure out anything! It is something people do-mac people. So after wasting one of my 3 free credit reports in a year I used my boss lady's monster mac and sent off the pdf.

Can you send your score too? Ahh. I had just shut everything down! How do I do this? I only have 1 free report left and I'm gonna need it for something. So, I signed up for one of those free trial things. Got all 3 scores and sent those off. Now, it is a day later and I want to cancel. I will be on the phone for the next half hour or I will be charged $15 a month for the rest of my life. Damn you, fine print!

Lessons to be learned: You can only save as a pdf on a mac without spending a lot of money on software for your PC; you only get 3 free credit reports in a 12 month period; a free credit report does not come with your score; make sure you read the fine print in any contract-especially if you are doing a free credit report dot com commercial in Canada; free trials are a pain in the ass.  

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

i'm really not that busy

I feel like I'm going out of my mind! Nothing happens when I want it to. Or how I want it to. I meant to be posting more about how it works opening a business when you have no idea what you are doing. In between the work and the stress of all this, I had a moment to enjoy ely james and what he loves to do.





  
The attention to detail that man has is amazing. In his playing and in his wardrobe-which consists of very little. It's just that the way he puts it all together is perfection. See the tie tack? The french cuffs with cuff links? He cut that leather jacket so his cuffs stuck out. Made quite a visual in the dark. He spends most of his time hiding behind that kit. It's great that he thinks of subtle ways to stand out.
I almost took pictures of what that white shirt looked like after the gig but I thought that was too much information! Believe me, it was no longer white and probably never will be again.

I didn't make it to the banks on Monday. I spent most of the day emailing with the co-op board and making my breaking even analysis. Which wasn't as scary as I thought if I separate the apartment in the back. ely james and I will just have to make the $ for that with our 'day' jobs.

It does seem that the board is leaving their options open. Which makes sense. The neighborhood is changing so much. I mean TWO Duane Reades within 5 blocks of each other. You know that's a sign of more money to be had.

Now I just have to figure out how to get my credit report in a pdf. Then later today , after work and before dinner with a friend, I will meet with my 'lawyer' to get my sole proprietorship papers going.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

give me your money

I'm just kidding. Actually, I'm not just kidding. I start bank shopping on Monday. I've been with chase my whole life but they seem like bastards. Any bank seems so. Plus I know nothing about banking, investing or taking out a loan. I can't trust them to give me any reliable information. Do I stay small or go big? Who will be the most supportive? Is that a stupid question to ask?

why now is the link crashing my internet explorer? i guess, try at your own risk.

How cute are those piggies? They came with the inc. article but hey, a blog without visuals is drab.

Anyway, the point is-I added a paypal donate button. Just in case. There might be someone out there that has a little extra to give and wants to help. I know there are much more important organizations that need donations (just click on the logo): 


Save the Children are based in my hometown. I used to love shopping in their gift shop. Maybe next time I am home, I will again.

Friday, March 11, 2011

i continue...


...to add to this thing called etsy.

It is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. To take photos, to measure, and to write about each piece. While worrying about if the shipping info is in correctly. Wondering how everyone else can ship things for $3? The crossing my fingers and putting it out there. It is totally rewarding though with each piece that I add.

While I was multi-tasking, I found this:


I found it while looking on craigslist. They are apparently hiring. Then I sent the link to my sister becuase I can see her in every piece. Amazing!

All while listening to this:

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

account this

I like numbers. I like to count them. In an annoying OCD fashion, sometimes. Especially when I am walking down stairs or on the subway platform. I'm not crazy OCD. If I miss a number I don't have to go back to the top of the stairs and start all over or anything.

When I was young, around 8 or 9 years old and my sister had an orchestra concert, I would multiply numbers on the program. I would pick a number and multiply it against itself and then multiple the answer by itself. Until I filled the entire program.


Now that I am at a crossroad of sorts in my life, I have started to think outside the box. Why did it take me so long to start thinking about the future? I have no idea. I just never cared before, I guess. My newest whimsy-if my dream of a rich benefactor coming into my life, handing me $30,000 and saying "go get 'em kid," doesn't come true-is to go back to school. For accounting.

That takes years, you say? Damnit. Why didn't I care earlier? Why?

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

trafficking

Now that I am losing the best job that I have ever had, due to poor money management on the owner's part (and many other factors actually), I fear for my future. I don't want to go back to corporate retail. Although, that seems to be where the benefits are.

The local store seems to be doomed.


 Everyone wants to save money. I get that. I also understand buying what you need and a quality that will last.

My true dilemma is that my moral compass has been altered. I can't support over consumption. I can't support China. As I get older I revel in the thought of living off the land and bartering with neighbors. So, there is this:  


 Have not tried it yet but it is totally what I'm talking about. Now about that job...

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

found...

Another part of my plan is vintage. I love to shop and I'm good at it. Always have been. I remember the day I found a plate at a school fund raiser that happened to have my mother's initials on it. All of her initials. LRSF. Random, right? But I found it and it was the best present ever.

Yesterday I went to Connecticut to spend the day with my mother. To shop. For my plan. I got distracted and found these...

photo by ely james

 I got home around midnight and set the pile of records on the "dining room table" for ely james to discover. I couldn't sleep in anticipation of his excitement of my discoveries. When he got home from rehearsal at 3am, he did not disappoint. He went crazy for my amazing finds. 15 albums for 60 cents!! Not pictured above: George Michael's Faith, Madonna's True Blue, Faces' A Nod's As Good As A Wink..., Rolling Stones' Tattoos, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and Tears For Fears' Songs From the Big Chair.

Only problem-his fancy pants turntable had a buzz. Today he started to take the thing a  part. It needed to be grounded. It had to be done. He had to fix it. Even though he had no idea how. After some youtube seminars he reckoned he needed a soldering iron. Now.

On to the hardware store. $11 for an iron and wire. After pita pizzas and whiskey he set to work.











And success! Now he will be up all night blasting "the worst albums KISS ever made."

Next to come: the plan. All will be revealed here as a release.