Jello Shots

a zesty lemon 

packs a dinner party punch. 

slurp. gulp. jello shots!

Vodka + Pink Lemonade + Gelatin = Jello for grown ups

Halve.

Scoop out. 

Fill.

Sprinkle with sugar and slurp 'em down!

These were a huge hit at dinner a few weeks ago! They're a bit of college nostalgia, some kitchen craftiness, and excellent entertainment. The recipe, from Baked Bree, one of my favorite food blogs, was super easy. I may try out the margarita version for Cinco de Mayo. Or for any other day de Mayo.

Alexander McQueen

I finally got to the Alexander McQueen Exhibit at the Met this week :) I had tried to go once before, but had not allotted 2 additional hours in my excursion for standing in line, so I left. This time, I went early (which didn't help AT ALL), brought a bottle of water, and a book. Still waited in line for two hours, and at one point I felt very much like Rodin's sculpture: exasperated and on the brink of death. But, it was totally worth it.

Death by crowds and standing. 

 The exhibit showed a huge range of his work, from highly tailored menswear inspired pieces, to leather bondage body suits, gorgeous flowing gowns and of course, the totally bizarre (No one needs crocodile heads for shoulder pats, sorry).

This jacked, red jeans, chunky black biker boots and my closet.
We'll call it a date.

The Met people were pretty adamant about not taking pictures, so I snagged a few of my favorites from their website. Unfortunately, the workmanship, detail and color don't translate that well to pictures. My all time favorite was this chartreuse beaded, horsehair dress. The color and contrasting textures were unexpected and stunning. 

Another highlight: Gold feathers. Sexy silhouette. 

Really nothing more to say except,"Can I have that?"

and maybe and invite to a party where it would be appropriate. 

This parachute silk cape thing was not one of my favorites, but what was happening in front of it at the show was possibly my favorite moment of the day. A ten year old girl was settled in front of it with her sketch book, sketching away. I was immediately jealous. What a good idea. She was completely unfazed by the plastic surgery/alien faced Upper East Side hags shoving to the front of the crowd, or the gay boys bopping her with their man purses. She was totally entranced by the billowing cape. You go ahead, girlfriend. That kind of magic is really what it is all about.

LCD Soundsystem

So I guess LCD Soundsystem is officially broken up. Last night was their last show at Madison Square Garden. Zach and I went to one of their shows earlier this week at Terminal 5, where they were playing for what seemed like a week straight. They were awesome. I couldn't have asked for anything more. They played 3 sets with songs from all 3 albums and their instrumental project for Nike. I loved hearing Daft Punk is Playing In My House, the first song of theirs that I ever fell in love with. Reminds me of cruising around Syracuse in Zach's pink Jetta :) Seeing Losing My Edge live was way better and more poignant given the setting than it could ever be on an album.

Great signage. Message received. Love ya, too. 

Oh hey, James Murphy

Yes.

Disco Ball.

Fans. 

Hard at work.

So much love. and dancing. 

Wouldn't be a dance party without a fog machine.

Much better than "Good Bye," though I know that's what you mean. Sigh.  

It's still early in 2011, but I'm pretty sure that was my favorite show of the year. Favorite Show of the Year is a tall order, but I think LCD deserves the title. Some of the past winners are as follow:

2004- David Byrne at Bonnaroo
2005- Simon Posford at Camp Bisco
2006- Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra at Langerado
2007- Blur of a year, don't remember anything I saw nor did I write it down...
2008- Lindstrom and Prinz Thomas at Studio B & Lady Gaga at Sullivan Hall
2009- David Byrne at Radio City Music Hall
2010- Pearl Jam at MSG & Medicine for the People at Bayside Kava Bar
2011- LCD Soundsystem at Terminal 5

Savasana

Savasana is the final resting pose in yoga. You just lay on your back on the floor and it is the most pristine few moments to soak in all of your hard work and treat yourself to doing nothing. It can be hard to just lay there and not think about the to do list or what to eat as soon as you leave class. One thing New York Sports Center yoga instructors were really good at was talking you through a meditation and helping you visualize a calm, wonderful place. I love taking imagination trips while in savasana and usually go to one of the following three places:

The end of the dock at Craftsbury Sculling Center (aka Family Rowing Camp) in the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont. There are three long, floating, wooden docks used for launching boats into Lake Hosmer. I would usually opt out of the afternoon row in lieu of basking in the sun on the dock, which absorbs the heat from being in the sun. As I laid on the dock, I could see pine trees in the periphery of my vision and bright blue above. Thats it. Quiet. Warmth. Nothingness. The best part was that I could dip my toes in the water, which was usually perfect for toe dipping- not too cold. This usually where I go while in savasana.

The front lawn at 26 Dunkirk road, my home in Baltimore for most of my life. As I lay on the floor, I imagine that I'm laying between our house and our next door neighbor's house in the long, borderline overgrown green grass. Above me I see the Japanese Maple (perfect for climbing) and the pine tree (bad for climbing) entering my line of sight from each side. This one smells like mulch and I probably have dirty feet.

The black sand beach in Waimanu Valley on the Big Island in Hawaii. Surprisingly, this one is not a hot place and the sun comes and goes. It's kept cool by the fog rolling off of the town of Waimea on the cliffs that create the valley. Laying on the beach, facing the ocean, I can see the fog descending from behind and disappearing into the vast ocean and sky beyond the mouth of the valley. The cliffs create a 2,000 foot tall cocoon of greens and browns on either side and the sand is cool and perfectly soft. It is completely silent except for the shuffle of trees against each other behind me and crash of the waves in front of me.

After spending 5 minutes imagining the quality of the quiet or the feeling of the sun, I'm usually ready to face the city with a renewed sense of calm (and find myself walking much slower on the way home).

Rip off!

Went to San Marzano for pizza last night. I had been underwhelmed by their Margherita pizza that I had delivered a few months ago, but was excited to give it another shot. They've got a hip, clean interior that makes you feel pretty swank even though you're only out for pizza.

We got the Pomodoro pizza and the Caprino pizza. The Pomodoro did exactly what we needed it to do: deliver a really good traditional style pizza. The excitement though, came from the Caprino: carmelized onions (dare I say, onion jam?), mushrooms, goat cheese, truffle oil. Twas delicious. Simultaneously sweet and savory. Enough to rip off for tonights appetizer. The onions are caramelizing right now and smell delicious. I added a little balsamic vinegar just to see what happens. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wads

Thursday was my first day off. I hung around the farm, did some laundry and got a little more settled. I also made Judd Wads, which was probably the best decision I've made since getting here. For those of you who don't know, Judd Wads are deliciously addictive, power packed cookies. So power packed in fact, that we Andersons eat them for breakfast. This particular batch had apricots, crasins, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips in it. Each tray was devoured within minutes of coming out of the oven. Today's lesson: food makes friends!

Next batch will be Macadamia nuts, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and apricots. Get ready :)