Tag Archives: shopping

An extra day

Posted on May 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

I was excited this morning to have an extra day.

To go to the movies. To do a little shopping. To relax in Central Park with my dog.  To just ‘be’ before the demands of the work week begin yet again.

Then I remembered why I have this day. Why I am free to spend it as I choose. And who defends my right to make that choice today…and every day.

On Memorial Day, I am remembering those who have served — and who still serve — to keep us free.

Thank you.

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Posted in Commentary, History, Holiday, Life, Love

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4 wrongs make a blog

Posted on May 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Inspiration comes in many forms. Graffiti. Photography. T-shirts. T-shirts of t-shirts.

Let me explain.

Last week the Marc Jacobs store in New York City’s Soho neighborhood was hit by street artist Kidult.

Well…at least the ginormous graffiti said ‘art.’

That may sound like bright-side thinking.  But Marc Jacobs went one step further.

The label created t-shirts bearing a photo of the abused storefront and is selling them for a whopping $689 exclusively at the Soho store.

I believe that’s known as ‘high art.’

Kidult has denounced Marc Jacobs as a ‘capitalist thieve’ on Twitter.  And Tumblr Wilfry has decided to make some bucks off the very public altercation by selling their version for only $35.

And I’m telling the story.  Of the artist who spray painted Marc Jacobs. Who made t-shirts of the graffiti.  Who ticked off the artist.  Who was copied again in a tee by Tumbler Wilfry.

And everyone made money but me.

Yep.  Sounds like a blog.

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Posted in Art, Blog, Blogging, Blogs, Commentary, Design, Fashion, Humor, Life

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Smelly cat

Posted on March 11, 2012 | 5 Comments

As society and technologies advance, some practices become archaic.

So why are people still bathing in cologne and perfume?

Most people in the United States — emphasis on most — bathe on a regular basis.  Lots of folks I know shower twice a day due to workouts and runs, god love ‘em.

So as a rule — and again, I’m generalizing here — men and women in the US are pretty darn clean.

So why the need to surround yourself in a cloud of cloying cologne?  When you walk down the sidewalk, it’s practically visible.  Passersby choke on it.  Folks who hug you are left unwilling wearers of it.

And let’s not even discuss your elevator assassinations.

Perfumes were initially reserved for burial rituals, then became popular as a way to cover the stench of the great unwashed.  We are no longer — as a rule — the great unwashed.  A little goes a really long way.

Think before you spray.

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Posted in Beauty, Commentary, Fashion, Friends, Home, Life, Shopping

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Dunk and cover

Posted on March 7, 2012 | 1 Comment

The Oreo turned 100 yesterday.  I cheered.  Bet you did, too.

But last night I learned that the eerily similar Hydrox sandwich cookie is 104 years old.

Now I have a bad taste in my mouth.

The Oreo — which, let’s face it, has the better name between the two — came second.  Was actually inspired by Hydrox.

But somehow Hydrox has always been perceived as the knockoff through the years.  So much so that the cookie was removed from the market in 2003.  Yet in 2008, in response to an online petition, Kelloggs put Hydrox back on the market, albeit temporarily, under the original Sunshine label.

Now?  All I can find is some crushed Hydrox on Nuts.com.

How fitting.

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Posted in Children, Cooking, Family, Food, Foods, History, Home, Humor, Life, News, Shopping

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An egg in the hand

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

Some people climb mountains.  Others run marathons.

And then there are the people who eat emu eggs.

The latest darling of farmers’ markets, emu eggs are, on average, six inches long, weigh two pounds, and are the equivalent of 10-12 chicken eggs.

And cost $20 a piece.

Cock-a-doodle-emu.

Now, emus may be native to Australia, but the growing popularity and high market value of their eggs have made farming them locally a great investment.  Farms like Roaming Acres in neighboring New Jersey have over 20 emus on site (and ostriches, too).

And while empty egg shells are sold to artists and some eggs go to commercial kitchens, it’s the home cook looking to impress their friends that are driving the business.

Emu eggs — the Mount Everest of the dinner party.

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Posted in Commentary, Cooking, Food, Foods, Humor, Life, Philosophy, Restaurants, Shopping

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Royal flush

Posted on February 17, 2012 | 3 Comments

There’s Team Edward and Team Jacob. But in the doll making game…

It’s Team William all the way.

Mattel has released a Barbie and Ken version of William and Kate to commemorate their upcoming one-year wedding anniversary.

As you can see, they have given William a full head of hair — something he doesn’t possess in real life — and strengthened his jawline. And although Kate looks a bit like every Barbie I’ve seen, she’s pretty and her gown is spot-on.

No doll marker would risk offending the royal family.

That clearly wasn’t a concern for the Mattel designer selected to create the dolls that recreate the wedding of Bella and Edward in Twilight Breaking Dawn.

I’m guessing he isn’t a fan of the saga.  And Edward in particular.

His doll’s face is flat and fat, and his hair looks like an old lady’s wig.  I know the white makeup isn’t flatteringly on anyone in the movies, but it eliminates all detail here.

In the words of my friend Tina…

Barf.

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Posted in Children, Comedy, Commentary, Design, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Movies, News, Shopping, Toys

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Lady luck

Posted on January 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

When it comes to bugs, I earned my wimp card years ago.

I’m not a fan.

But the ladybug?  That’s one very different beetle.  It’s cute, it eats a lot of harmful insects and it’s lucky.  (That’s a scientific fact.)

If you like ladybugs too, you might consider this Ladybug Nightlight that my friend Stephanie sells at Stoopher & Boots on the Upper West Side.

Look at that face.

And you might stop reading right now.  Because the rest of this post on ladybugs will freak you out.  It did me.

Hungarian Artist Gabor Fulop also likes ladybugs.  A lot. So much so that he created 20,000 and hand-painted them.

He then applied his ladybug creations to a  sculpture of the human form, forcing viewers to imagine what it would feel like to have ladybugs crawling over every inch of their bodies.

Me?  I wouldn’t feel lucky at all.

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Posted in Animals, Art, Commentary, Design, Humor, Life, Museums, Shopping

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Like the Dickens

Posted on January 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

While I was on a business trip in London a few years ago, a surprise snow blanketed the city.  A colleague, looking out the window of our hotel room at the falling snow, quipped:

“It’s so Dickensian!”

And we had our catchphrase.

It did feel like we had stepped back in time, into one of the classic novels we had all read in school.  The snow didn’t last, but the memory of that brief interlude has to this day.

Stateside in 2012, ‘Dickensian’ has an entirely different vibe.

StrangeBeautiful just launched their Dickensian Edition of nail colors, which is roughly 10 different shades…of black.

(Only true New Yorkers can discern the difference.)

Creator Jane Schub said her interpretation of Dickens for the collection was inspired by photography, literature, art, coal and broken shale.

Geez, Jane — did you even read the novels?

They have happy endings.

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Posted in Beauty, Books, Commentary, Humor, Life, Shopping, Travel

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Burned

Posted on January 11, 2012 | 6 Comments

On my way to the subway last night, I overheard a snippet of conversation as two girls walked by:

“…so then I threw it all up, and I have never eaten it again.”

Man.  I guess we all have one of those stories. Mine happened when I was 13 years old.

After a morning of shopping, my mom and I got chili dogs at the Midtown Drive-In in Mayfield, Kentucky.  They were a favorite.

Then.

On the way home, I started feeling not-so-good.  Bad, actually.  And I told my mom, who was driving the car, that we needed to pull over.  NOW.  Her response?

“Hold on.  We’re almost there.”

How does one “hold on” when you getting ready to throw up?  I don’t know now, and I certainly didn’t know then.  My clothes and her car upholstery suffered as a result.

And I’ve never eaten a chili dog since.

So…have you sworn off a food that turned on you?  Share your story in the comments section.

And enjoy your lunch!

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Posted in Commentary, Food, Foods, Humor, Life

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Meow

Posted on January 10, 2012 | 6 Comments

Pet owners.  We love our animals.

And companies know they can sell us just about anything.

Huffpost.com recently put together a collection of some of the stupidest pet products on the market.  I can’t disagree with the editors on most of ‘em.  They are ridiculous.

BUT…

I have to stand up for one of them…mainly because the product in question is less ridiculous for pets than it is for its original human intent.

Kitty Croc Bed

The croc shoe has been super-sized and turned into a bed for cats.  HuffPost argues it is far stupider looking in this iteration.

I disagree.

Croc shoes are ugly.  They may be the most comfortable shoe on the planet — but there’s not a foot in the world that doesn’t look stupid in them.

Sorry, Mario.

I think making the croc huge and putting a kitten inside is the best thing that ever happened to the shoe.  Dare I say…

Purrrfect?

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Posted in Animals, Commentary, Design, Fashion, Humor, Internet, Shopping

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