Craftacular=Awesome!

OK, I know I'm two days late with this, and I'm not really into posting personal photos—But! The Craftacular at Warsaw was so much fun! Excellent merchandise at amazing prices. I got an awesome black tank top, a great T-shirt from Jezebel (you can read more about the label here), some super cute note cards, and a kick-ass feather headband, which you can sort of see on my head in this pic, above. I didn't get the name of the gal selling the headbands, but I predict that she'll be big soon. She had such an amazing personal style and wonderful merchandise. My friends and I preceded the Craftacular with a great brunch at Lokal, and afterward we went to Enid's for drinks, and then finished the night at Barcade—kind of like a Sunday circa 2004 in Williamsburg! Fun, though. And the Craftacular offered pictures a la prom style—hence the photo above. See the rest of the photos here.

Someone Lost Their Drugs on Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn?

The Pad Condos: Everyone's on the Same Cycle!

So I just learned that there's a new condo building in Williamsburg called "The Pad." Which to me sounds like a maxi pad. But whatever. So I thought I'd check out their Website (not b/c I will ever be able to afford a condo—and if I could, I wouldn't live somewhere named after a feminine product—but for fun!). And, ta-dah! Their intro page has three red dots parading against a white background! It looks like a period commercial. How did NO ONE CATCH THIS? Did Kotex do the Web design for "The Pad"? This should win some sort of worst-marketing-ploy-ever award.

'The Last Person Who Sat at This Desk Died.'

File under: Conversations at your new freelance job that make you sad and just a little bit wary.

If We're Not Open, It's Because We're Closed.

Courtesy of my friend Kimmie, who works for the Peace Corps and just received this picture via e-mail from a volunteer in Africa.

Blogger Regresses to Age Five With Repeated Viewings of Sesame Street Clips on YouTube

And the subway one is my favorite. I especially love the lady who's like, "You should say you're sorry!" Also, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get this song out of my head for the next five years, but it's better for my daily commute to involuntarily think of this song as opposed to horrific wheel screeching. See, I once saw a filmed version of Amiri Baraka's The Dutchman, and for months, every commute brought to mind that ominous horror-movie "eeehkk-eeehkk" the subway made in that production.

Flip-Flop Weather, Finally

Tulips in Washington Square Park, Saturday

Another sign that summer is on its way: McCarren Pool has announced its summer lineup, beginning with M.I.A. and ending with Wilco. I lived in Chicago for four years and took away a lifelong love for the Cubs, deep-dish pizza, and Wilco, so I'll be one of the suckers handing over my hard-earned 40 bucks (plus outrageous Ticketmaster surcharge!) to be there.

Does Candy live in a loft in Williamsburg?

Cause when I lived in a loft at South 4th and Bedford, bright eager things would move into the building and they would post some random, friendly note like this in the elevator (it was usually the ones who were a bit older and trying to create a sense of "community"). And this (above) is exactly the response they would get—probably by some NYU-attending, parent-mooching asshole, but who's to say?

Also, Candy, next time, don't put your name! And maybe you could start going by Andy instead of Candy? Candice? No, definitely Andy. It's a cute name for a girl, like Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink.

Photo via The Triumph of Bullshit

Someone is blasting Stevie Wonder on the street in front of my apartment right now ...

And wow, I think I'm going to program "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" into my phone/alarm clock to wake me up every morning. Stevie's voice makes you super cheery, especially on bright and sunny days!

Orange gets the short end of the stick.

Patrick Moberg illustration via A Shot of JD

How I Became a Caricature of All the Single New Yorkers You See on Some Dumb Sitcom

On my lunch break this afternoon, I was walking along 42nd Street, enjoying the day -- bright yellow sun, check! Crisp blue skies, check! Ex-boyfriend walking exactly three people in front of me, shit!

It's funny how one doesn't realize that she really, really doesn't want to talk to/see someone until she is confronted with the possibility. A more mature person would have kept walking and figured, if we bump into each other at the light on the corner, so be it. Que sera, sera. Apparently, I am not a more mature person.

Without really thinking, I froze. Then I took a step back, scanned for a hiding place, ran behind a green kiosk, pulled my dark glasses out of my bag, put them on, popped my head out to see if the coast was clear, and took off in the opposite direction.

I Once Took an Overnight, 19-Hour Bus Ride From Chicago to Baltimore. Yes, I AM a Trooper.

Bolt Bus is offering one-buck bus tickets between places like NYC, D.C., Philly, and Boston. That's really nice of them (and even the high-end tickets are only 7 or 10 dollars), but how are they making money off $1 tickets? And they are, apparently: Their FAQ says the goal is to offer customers the lowest price possible while still making an operating profit.

Plus, they have free wi-fi on the buses! I know it's a bus and all, and buses are sometimes gross/scary*, but for the price, I totally think it'd be worth checking out. They don't allow small dogs, though, which is no bueno since I'd wanna take Boo to visit friends in MD/D.C.

*I live down the street from a Greyhound station, and I see people piling on everyday, looking pretty pissed that they can't afford to fly. And what's scary is they have all this luggage THAT NO ONE CHECKS FOR ANYTHING. There could be bombs, weapons, whatever! Bring it on, all good! As long as you paid your fifteen bucks, no one cares. Oh lord, I guess buses are pretty scary still, even if the price isn't.

Please sign this petition.

It's a very heartbreaking story that I'm way too sad to explain, but you can read more about it here. It's hard to believe that as much as the world has progressed, horrible things like this—that are completely avoidable and just plain malevolent behavior—still happen.

And you can sign the petition here.

Thank you.

'Recession Dressing' With the New York Post

With the downturn in the economy, the NY Post realizes that most of us are going to have to scale back a bit, and that includes clothing. As a sort of service piece, they include some "steals" that will get us through these troubled times. Like this outfit. So here's the breakdown:

* Rebecca Taylor jacket, $460 at Bloomingdale’s* Viscose Coven striped tank top, $168 at Intermix, 1003 Madison Ave.* Hello! SkinnyJeans DayWash jeans, $178 at skinnyjeans.com* May Day heels, $175 at Kenneth Cole* Rebecca Minkoff Market bag, $630 at Bloomingdale's

Gee, thanks, NY Post, but I think we have different ideas of slumming it.

Nothing This Cool Ever Happened When I Lived in Indiana

And I was there for seven LONG years. We moved from Maryland when I was seventeen, right before my senior year (Thanks, mom and dad!!). I stayed, inexplicably, until I was 24. I made a few good friends and we hung out at old-man bars with names like Old Glory, but generally, very few awesome things happen in the Hoosier state. Until now!

Hot Hillary Clinton Party Photos

Completely Unsolicited Family Advice

I sent my very sweet aunt an e-mail with a picture of my dog. She lives out west with her husband and has two grown children. I asked how they all were doing, nothing more. This is the quite interesting (I think!) response I got:

Don't be in any hurry to get married. If anything, don't get married at all—just live with a person til you tire of them then move on.

My very Catholic family has come a long way.

Custom Cake From Wal-Mart

Via Cajun Boy