Feb 27th 2013 11:06:57 am

I love my birthday month, but this February seems to be dragging on. So cold and rainy and grey. I have lost my enthusiasm for a lot of things… except this stuff:

♥ watching… X-Files! Oh, how I love Mulder & Scully! I am working my way through the series. I just finished season three (Queequeg just got eaten by an alligator) and started season four (my favorite). Such a thoughtful, mysterious show! Definitely one of my all-time favorites.

♥ enjoying… spring pastels. Like this handbag, this rug, and this scarf.

♥ eating… grapefruit and pistachios. My two current healthy favorites. I believe that I eat pretty healthy in general — fruits & veggies, whole grain, low-fat dairy, etc — but I am on a renewed health kick since I read this article about junk food engineering.

♥ wishing that… my new iMac would arrive. It is back-ordered until March. My current desktop is broken — it crashes every 10 minutes — and it is difficult to do serious work on my tiny travel laptop.

♥ hosting… the Sweet Spring Time Matchbox Swap on Swap-bot. I am really looking forward to spring and thought I’d host one of my signature craft swaps to hurry it along. Join us!

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what are you up to?

1 Comment » Categories: Currently, Food, Swap-bot, Television, Work

Jan 4th 2013 11:56:01 am

We are only four days into 2013 and I already feel like it is going by too fast. What is occupying my time and thoughts as this new year starts? This stuff…

♥ obsessing over… my new iphone app, Lumiè. It allows you to add bokeh light effects to your photos and share them via social media.

♥ watching… Homeland! Just finished the first season. It is a lot more about mental illness and EMOTIONS than I was expecting, but it is interesting.

♥ eating… South Brooklyn Pizza. With onions, mushrooms, and pepperoni.

♥ exercising with… the Brazil Butt Lift workout videos. My friend Brian got me the videos (at my request) for Christmas. They are basically aerobics workouts with a lot of lunges.

♥ getting pumped for… the Goofy Challenge in one week!!! And the Bermuda Challenge the week after that!! Wish me luck!

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What are you doing right now? What do you have planned for 2013?

No Comments » Categories: Currently, Exercise, Food, Photos, running, Television

Oct 10th 2012 09:21:49 am

getting pumped for… The Nike Women’s Half Marathon on Sunday! Travis and I are traveling to San Francisco on Friday with Team in Training where we will meet up with Chelsea. Chelsea is running her first full marathon. Travis is cheering. And I am planning to just enjoy the half marathon course and receive my Tiffany necklace at the finish line! Yes!

eating… wood fired brick oven pizza from Toby’s Public House. (I actually just visited this South Slope restaurant for the first time last night, but it was delicious and casual and cool. Must go back soon.)

watching… an obscene amount of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I am working my way through the series and am already on Season 3. I sort of hate it. Too many Cardassians and Ferengi. But I press on.

wishing for… new fall shoes! So many great styles, so few affordable prices!

still processing… The Grey. So much less wolf punching and so much more traumatic death and sadness than I was expecting.

thinking about… the next steps… in running, Swap-bot, life…

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What are you up to as fall descends?

3 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Currently, Movies, running, Shoes, Television

Apr 3rd 2012 10:57:56 am

So… you know that I have an ongoing list of things I hope to do each year, right? Well, on my “31 while 31″ list, I have: attend a taping of The Wendy Williams Show. Thanks to my friend, Brian, I can now check that item off my list!

I’m not obsessed with tv. Really. But I had a lot of fun attending a few tapings of the Martha Stewart Show, and The Wendy Williams Show just looked like a party for the audience.

My assumptions were correct! Despite having to get up really early last Tuesday and go into the city to wait in line in the cold — Brian got tickets online, but you still have to arrive early to get in the audience line — it was a wild and totally fun experience. Alison, Casey, Brian and I had a great time. (Sadly, Travis was at work and couldn’t come with us… but I have a feeling that Wendy Williams may not be his scene.)

We spent a long while in the green room area before entering the set. I was interviewed by a producer who wanted me to ask Wendy a question on air. (In every episode of the show Wendy answers an advice question from the audience.) I was willing to do it, but nervous. I am terribly awkward on camera and glad that I didn’t ultimately get picked. Whew!

Once we entered the set, the fun started! The warm-up guy for the show was excellent. Very funny and energetic and cute. All of the ladies loved him. There was also a dj playing music to pump us up. They wanted the audience to be really excited and loud when Wendy entered the set. It was definitely a little more rowdy than the Martha Stewart Show! At one point in between segments, there was an audience member dance contest. It was crazy and hilarious and embarrassing. Don’t worry, I did not participate.

We didn’t receive any free items like I did at the Martha Stewart Show, but that is totally ok with me. We spent the two hours laughing, which I think is even better. The show guests were an actor from CSI:NY, a gospel group, Run from Run:DMC, and Beverly Johnson, an ex-supermodel with a new reality show. I enjoyed it all and am even tempted to watch Beverly Johnson’s show… maybe.

Wendy Williams is the real deal. On screen she looks like a giant, but she is much more normally-sized in person. (Although, the three giant body guards that she had around her at all times helped to put her height in perspective.) And she is beautiful. She was very sweet to the audience, and funny, and a total pro. She only had to re-take a few lines when she was taping the promo segments. I was impressed. You could easily dismiss her show as unserious fluff, but I actually think she is very talented. She is honest and matter-of-fact with her guests, not afraid to ask tough questions. I actually think she has a long, successful career in front of her.

Anyway, I recommend attending a taping of The Wendy Williams Show if you can. You can request tickets here.

Which television show taping (in NY) should I attend next??

Check out more photos from our Wendy visit on Flickr.

8 Comments » Categories: Friends, New York, Television

Jan 4th 2012 05:12:41 pm

reading: The Girl Who Played with Fire. I actually haven’t started it yet, but I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I enjoyed it. It didn’t 100% live up to my admittedly overly high expectations — so many otherwise strong female characters fell in love with the dashing male protagonist that it started to feel like the author’s fantasy — but it was an enthralling mystery. I will definitely finish the series.

playing: Tiny Tower. Travis introduced me to this cute iPhone game. You build a tiny tower community floor by floor. I have 17 floors so far…

watching: Portlandia. Travis and I watched the full first season over the weekend. It is a weird show, but as a past Oregonian, I often laughed out loud. In the first episode there is a line about how people in Portland ride unicycles and double-decker bikes… which is funny because it is completely true.

getting pumped for: The TinkerBell Half Marathon. In just 22 days, Chelsea and I will be running 13 miles through Disney Land! I can’t wait to visit family and ride Space Mountain!

What are you up to at the start of this fresh, new year?

3 Comments » Categories: Books, Currently, running, Television

Nov 17th 2011 01:18:53 pm

eating… Bareburger. Travis’ favorite place in Park Slope. We go every Wednesday.

reading… The Big Enough Company, a book about building a business that is successful in the ways that are most meaningful to you. Not all businesses have to grow, grow, grow, with the only goal being money, money, money. Success can also mean satisfaction and social good.

watching… The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and other Nazi shows on the History Chanel… and getting myself way too upset thinking about hate, prejudice, dishonesty, and the abuse of power.

hosting… the FIFTH Annual Holiday Fun Matchbox Swap on Swap-bot!! Come join us and receive some sweet snail mail just in time for the holidays!

loving… all of the amazing Swap-bot-themed crafts that were made for our 100,000th Swap – Check them out here.

recovering from… too much marathoning! Running the Marine Corps Marathon was the best day of my life. Cheering for the NYC marathon was a full day of fun. (See my friend, Kenny Komala’s, photo of the cheer squad at mile 23 below.) Getting sick after all of the excitement was a bummer. I am still trying to lay low and get 100% better…

6 Comments » Categories: Books, Brooklyn, Currently, Swap-bot, Television

Jul 10th 2011 04:00:53 pm

watching… PBS – Channel 13 in NY. This will sound very nerdy, but PBS has the best programming on tv. I love Antiques Roadshow, Poirot on Masterpiece Mystery, and NOVA Science Now with silly/brilliant Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I should really go make a donation…

reading… A Game of Thrones – but I am only 250 page in.

using… Google+ – Google’s answer to Facebook and Twitter. I am reluctant to start up a whole new “life” on another social networking site, but + does seem to have some nice features, like selective sharing. Check out my +profile and let me know if you want an invite to join.

participating in… IndieBizChicks Twitter Party on Tuesday night, 9-10:30 EST. We’ll be discussing crafty businesses. Join us by following and using the #indiebizchat hashtag. I’ll be using my SwapbotNews account.

feeling… exhausted and discouraged. Running is very difficult for me and it refuses to get any easier. A straight year of marathon training and I have nothing to show for it. No increase in fitness — my apartment stairs still leave me breathless. No gain in speed — I am one of the very slowest on our team. No weight loss — I still feel like a slug. And definitely no gains in confidence — every time I run, it makes me depressed and angry. That sounds dramatic, but it is the truth. I’m not really sure where to go from here… I guess running just isn’t going to be my thing, no matter how many 10-mile Saturday runs I complete.

What have you been up to lately?

10 Comments » Categories: Currently, running, Television

May 28th 2011 10:32:34 pm

I did not intend to spend this long holiday weekend on the couch, but I have still been feeling sick. Yuck. Despite my intensions to be unendingly productive today, all I have managed to accomplish is finding a new television show to follow. Travis and I watched all three of the first episodes of BBC Masterpiece’s new, contemporary Sherlock Holmes series. It is kooky and hip and fun. Sherlock is a weird and web-savvy consulting detective and Watson (played by my fave, Martin Freeman) is his tough war vet roommate. I recommend it. AND, you can watch it right now on Netflix’s instant streaming service!

3 Comments » Categories: Television

Apr 7th 2011 04:00:55 pm

I had the opportunity to attend another Martha Stewart Show taping on Tuesday. It was the entrepreneur episode and I thought it would be a good opportunity to network and spread the word about Ace Department. So, I got up early, put on a new purple dress (Martha likes everyone in the audience to wear bright colors), and got on the train into Chelsea. (Gosh! What an unflattering photo of me, but I had to share it because Martha is right there in the background! Sweet!)

I’ve been to Martha tapings twice before and they really are always a good time. The staff is totally professional and friendly and the tapings run like a machine. The set was all decked out in Easter colors this time – very springy. It is definitely worth the trip into Manhattan to attend a taping (even if you have to wait outside in the rain for an hour once you get there), but it is still hard to lose half a day away from the office… always lots to do!!

The episode introduced a handful of successful small business owners (Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, One Kings Lane, Famaesthetics, and Idea Paint) and covered a few small business resources. The fun part is that each of the small businesses gave us gifts to take home! I got some cheese, spices, hand salve, a gift card (that I already spent), and some cool paint that turns your wall into a dry erase board. I feel almost guilty taking home so many goodies after each show!

All in all, another fun experience. Martha took some questions from the audience after the show and she basically gushed about her new granddaughter, Jude. It was sweet. I don’t know how she does it all. She is 70 years old, looks fantastic, hosts a live show, runs a company, and manages to visit her granddaughter every day. I know she has a ton of help, but it still sounds exhausting! She must truly be a “short sleeper” like she claims.

(How do I get all these tickets? If you like Martha, live in the NYC area, and have a flexible schedule, I recommend following TheMarthaShow on Twitter. They often announce upcoming shows with available tickets.)

8 Comments » Categories: New York, Television, Work

Feb 2nd 2011 02:35:15 pm

I was lucky enough to attend my second Martha Show taping yesterday. (You can read about my first taping here.) I follow TheMarthaShow on Twitter and they often tweet about upcoming shows that have seats available. If you live in the New York area and have a flexible schedule, you can contact them when you see a tweet about available tickets. As a single attendee, like me, I think it is easier for them to squeeze you into less than full audiences.

I attended the afternoon taping (they had taped a live show in the morning, too) and was at the studio for almost four hours. It took a big chunk out of my workday, but it was totally worth it. I love seeing Martha and her team in action. They are all so professional and nice. (They also all dress extremely nice – casual, but completely fashionable and neat.) They really work hard to make sure the audience has a fun time.

The show will air tomorrow, Thursday, February 3rd at 10 am on the Hallmark Chanel. I am sitting in the front row of the upper audience section and I think they caught me on camera a few times… I hope I don’t look too dorky. I think I was wearing too much blush and I really hope I don’t come across as someone desperate to be on tv….

Anyhoo, the show was great. The girls from Crafternoon were there to make vintage-inspired valentines and Grace Young, a Chinese chef, was there demonstrating two kinds of stir fry. The best part: we got to take home a bunch of free gifts! I try not to get my hopes up for free stuff, but it is definitely always welcome. We received the Crafternoon book (yay!), the cookbook, Stir Frying to the Sky’s Edge, and a handy, little slicing tool from Grace Young, and a Sony Pocket eReader!! Martha had on Abraham Verghese, the author of her latest “Books I’m Reading” selection, Cutting for Stone — which looks very interesting — and we got an e-copy of his book on the eReader! Very cool! I am charging mine right now and can’t wait to play with it and start reading.

An exciting tidbit: I got to ask Martha a question after the show! They allowed a little time at the end to ask her a few questions and I raised my hand to ask about her lip. She had cut it pretty bad a few weeks ago and posted about it on her blog. She says it is pretty much healed and it does look fantastic — you couldn’t even tell she had been cut. One more exciting tidbit: maybe I shouldn’t share too much, but Martha used the word grandchild during the Q&A session!! Sounds like she may have some good news to share soon!

All in all, it was another great experience at The Martha Show, but I have a question: how many tapings do you think you have to attend before they put your name on the “crazy fanatic/groupie/stalker” list? I sure hope I’m not on my way down that path! I do love Martha, but maybe I should tone down all of the Martha tweeting and Martha blogging… what do you think?

8 Comments » Categories: Books, Crafts, Just for Fun, Television