my inner kid is leaping

Yes, I am 21, and yes, I just danced around my house after hearing that Disney-Pixar is collaborating again to turn the Toy Story empire into a trilogy. Toy Story 3!!! How freaking fabulous is that?! As a child, I loved the duo of movies, and am very excited to take a trip down memory lane on June 18th, 2010, which falls just after my own college graduation. How... fitting? The movie's concept is adorable: the toys get dumped in a day care after Andy goes to college. How precious! Let's hope they make it out and back to the cloud-painted room they called home for so many years.

Sometimes, I'm really borderline pathetic, but I like to call it charm. On that note, I think I need a cocktail... Thankfully LS and her big, fat Italian family are throwing down for her graduation this afternoon. The event is sure to have home cooked creations galore, and, of course, some well-needed vino! Ciao!

clandestine sushi + BYOB

My NYC pal BT, a girl of way too many social networks to count, alerted me to this great website. It's kind of like DailyCandy, but geared towards the male psyche. While I clearly wear enough pink to showcase my overflowing femininity, DailyCandy sometimes fails to cut the cake for me. UrbanDaddy, however, always offers fantastic insights into new bar and restaurant openings, from Manhattan to Brooklyn and beyond. As a subscriber to the daily newsletter for the past two weeks, I have made note of countless hotspots to check out this summer. However, despite the allure of running into a Ranger (you may not know, but I've been a die hard fan since the days of the enormous and amazing Jeff Beukeboom), no newsletter sparked my attention quite like this one. For us recessionistas, BYOB options are oh so critical. Add in some sushi, and I am so totally sold. Assuming I can find the place, I'll post some pics, pronto!

So, my summer has ended. I am more than excited to start working on Monday (the nerd in me lives for routine), but will definitely miss my marathon gym sessions, afternoon shopping trips, and midday lunch dates. I've been working like a borderline maniac at P-Fit each week, so in order to keep myself (and my body, ha!) in check, I have become re-fixated with the idea of running in a road race. I have recruited an army of spectators and fellow participants to watch be cross the finish line. I happen to roll with a crows of ex-track stars, hence the fact that they will definitely be able to watch me sprint to my death... or hopefully a nicely chilled water bottle and Cliff bar! The race is a 4-mile hike through Central Park on July 18th, giving me tons of time to prepare and cross-train. I'm pumped! And, of course, I am "only" in the run for the post-party RJ is having afterwards! =)

Happy Weekend!

NJ: Ew no more!

After years of joking about my allergy to New Jersey, despite the fact that my times and travels have allowed me to meet and love several jersey boys and girls, I am no longer sneezy and hivey when it comes to my fellow tri-state. Why, you ask? Well let me tell you a-somethin': "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is Bravo's newest gem, and the best addition to my trashy TV repertoire since the original "Rock of Love" (You know, circa Heather and Rodeo. Come on now!). After watching the premiere and second episode with some friends, the should-be-comedian KR and her spot-on, commercial-time-passing impressions, and the third with my mother who hadn't laughed so hard since the premiere of smelly cat, I have experienced amusement as over-the-top as their mansions, as big as their hair, and as entertaining as their intertwining drama. Watch it, but don't copy the accent for all our sakes.

a new fixation

With each new chapter of life that I embark on, I tend to become fixated on something, for no reason whatsoever. Maybe it's a coping strategy? Anyhow, with exactly one week to go before I barge in on my third summer as what I like to call NYC's pinkest intern, I can't help but think about investing in real estate. I have issues with renting; I'd rather have something to show for my money... like a fabulous investment piece in -- duh! -- BROOKLYN, BABY! So, here is my plan: while I fully intend to have a summer full of nights on the town and dresses to kill, I'm going to make some serious efforts to save my bread for a down payment, which I hope to make upon graduation, assuming the economy picks up, leaving me with a real job to call my own. Yup. So that's my new fixation. I'm going to read real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran's book for inspiration.

Memorial Day Weekend has been a fabulous one thus far. It started with a G-Town graduation party and road trip/medical school send-off for the ginger-haired genius CO'C, followed by a sailor-filled night of bar hopping and booty dropping in Murray Hill. (Who doesn't LOVE Fleet Week?) Today was a low-key afternoon BBQ at my fellow KR's, and tomorrow brings another group gym extravaganza and tennis tourney!

Cheers!

blinging myself out?

I am truly a victim of temptation. After months of browsing around on the David Yurman website, my love affair with merely gazing at any of the three-pearl rings and bangles only grows with each day, making me sincerely crave a tangible item from his coveted yet grossly overpriced collection. However, this ring is the most semi-affordable bling at a crisp $350. I'm considering indulging in it after my internship ends, though I feel like I indulge a bit too much lately... ;-) All in good fun, though, right?!

After a morning spent at the judgment free zone (my new name for Planet Fitness -- the amount of times that quote is plastered all over the purple and yellow room is so much that I think it actually encourages judgment), I felt ambitious and created my own lunch concoction based off of a recipe ML whipped up while visiting her in South Bend. It's simple, delicious, and vegan, if that matters. =) The easily alterable directions are as follows: Cook up a can of black beans and bake one sweet potato. Mash 1/2 the beans and 1/2 of the sweet potato with chopped onion and garlic to taste. To make it a little healthier, I added some chopped carrots. If you have a food processor, use it to your hearts content, though hand-mashing is totally manageable. I like everything extra spicy, so I added some salsa for some extra sing, and a tablespoon of breadcrumbs to assist with solidifying the mixture. Once the substance (it will probably look like poop -- don't fret!) is nice and mixed, heat a skillet with olive oil as you place 4 patty-shaped scoops onto the pan. Cook on a low flame for a few minutes on each side, or until they're golden brown, and enjoy! I served mine on 1/2 an English muffin, and it was both tres filling and delish! As you can see, it's a very versatile recipe that I recommend you all give a go!

Post-lunch, Mom and I made a dual bargain trip: Marshalls and Costco. Granted, mine are not Christian Louboutin (some day!), but I bought an identical pair of Ralph Lauren patent pink pumps. I have so many friggin' black and white work dresses, so while these 4.5 inchers will destroy my feet and tempt ankle injuries, they'll bring some necessary oomph into my corporate attire. I also got two dresses to add to my growing collection of appropriate ensembles. I'm becoming quite the corporate lassie! Now, I must express my obsession with Costco. Buying in bulk is just the best, and Costco carries tons of yummy treats. In addition to the kitchen staples, we picked up a giant tub of ginger dressing (a la all those sushi places!), a log of goat cheese (my fave!), a five-pack of avocados, jalepeno hummus (arriba!) and a case of dried edamame. I have a strange love of grocery shopping, especially when it's at Costco prices. I already plan to make a monthly trip back home once I move out, if only for Mom's club membership! Just kidding... ;-)

a yogi's best kept secret

I really don't know how this is possible, but it is certainly some of the most pleasing music to my ears in a long time. Recently, I became a fan of Vinyasa (hot power) yoga, a style that focuses more on fluid movements than extensive postures. It's a great workout that makes you seriously sweat (we're talking buckets!) while raising your heart rate and toning and lengthening your muscles. There is a fantastic and -- key word! -- inexpensive studio in Easton, which I was a huge fan of throughout this semester. However, when I got home, I researched and noticed that there were no Vinyasa studios near my house on Long Island, and that every studio in Manhattan was a little too pricey to warrant a semiweekly session. However, my luck changed this afternoon. In a marathon BBM session with my old intern pal NB, I found out that there is a donation-based studio located just blocks between Thomson Reuters and Penn Station. I can't wait to try it out!

Namaste,

KR

The Weekend's Best Bargains

Since most of my Island friends graduated from their respective colleges this weekend, I was prepared to have a pretty boring Saturday and Sunday spent alone on my faire isle. However, you can never really be alone when you've got a neighboring isle that's way to chock full of adventures (ahem, and sales!) to conquer! After my Saturday afternoon and evening of Planet Fitness, shopping, pedicures, sushi, and the diet-killing-yet-oh-so-worth-it Coldstone Creation of "Cookie Doughnt You Want Some" (which is utter HEAVEN, by the way!), I began my Sunday with another morning extravaganza at P-Fit. P-fit is really a gym miracle, if you like to get down to the fitness basics, that is. It's small and unintimidating, with a full supply of cardio equipment, weights, and circuit stations. It lacks a cycling studio (or any fitness studio for that matter), but at $5 dollars to join and $10 a month thereafter, it is completely worth it, especially if you're on a student budget.

Post-gym, my sister, my aching thighs, and I LIRR-ed into the City for an afternoon of -- you guessed it! -- discount shopping. In the two hours we had before our dinner reservations at TAO, we made it from Loehmann's on 17th and 7th to Filene's Basement on 18th and 6th. I made two super sweet purchases: this Romeo & Juliet Couture (never really heard of them, but the top is FABULOUS!) top in a very me lime green, and this Vineyard Vines print in a wrap tube dress. I can't wait to wear them both to one of my upcoming graduation parties! No joke, but from now until July, I have between one and three every weekend!


TAO proved to be everything I dreamed. It's been on my destination list for quite a while now, making me thrilled to cross it of my master list. If you haven't been for dinner yet, DO IT! The price fixe menu is like a year-round restaurant week. Each bite, from my pork potsticker appetizer, to my Chilean sea bass entree, to my chocolate spring roll dessert was better than the next. And, to top it all off, each waiter wears a black kimono, adding to the pan-Asian ambiance! I will definitely trek to TAO again!

Per my last post, Things 2 Ruin was better than ever. I'm definitely obsessed.

Post First Day of Work Celebration!

My fellow bargain-hunting babe, BT, alerted me of a great new sight for us sample sale searchers. Clothingline, a space conveniently located just steps from Penn Station on 36th St. between 7th and 8th, lists its upcoming arrivals on it's very organized website. Conveniently, Ms. Burch will be showcasing her samples from May 31st-June 5th, which falls right in line with my first week at Thomson Reuters! Thankfully, the paychecks will be rolling in in just a few short weeks, putting a blessed end to my approaching brokeness!

On another fashion-savvy note, for the Long Island ladies out there, if you haven't made your way to Coquette in Garden City yet, do so ASAP. BT left with two fantastic frocks, both trendy enough to take you from work to play. The store has an upscale boutique feel, but the sales and styles are completely reasonably priced! With jeans, dresses, tops, accessories and Blair Waldorf headbands galore, Coquette is going to be the definite location of a summer splurge!

Off-topic: At my spur-of-the-moment Saturday afternoon student-rate pedicure, I felt a little daring and painted my nails an opaque baby blue. Insanity or style? I like to think a little bit of both.

Happy Saturday!

T2R

If you're out and about in Times Square this Sunday and Monday night, do not miss the final two performances of Things 2 Ruin at the Second Stage Theatre. Composed by rising star Joe Iconis, this angsty revue of 19 Rent-esque songs will keep your feet tapping, your ear drums buzzing, and your wallet willing for more. I had the privilege to see Things 2 Ruin in The Zipper Theater back in January, and instantly jumped on the chance to see it again. It's like a roller coaster ride of rock music, but with a side of whiskey and pheromones. (See the show; you'll catch my drift.)

Tickets are less than two Butter martinis; than the fly of a pair of Joe's Jeans; than a weekly subway pass; than a cab ride through the Park; than just about anything in New York! Even the Times liked it! For tickets, click here, and enjoy what I know will be an utterly fabulous time.

view from the top

Kelley over at Living the Brooklyn Life got me thinking about one of Manhattan's most magnificent summer treats: the rooftop bar! I am a complete sucker for a skyline. However -- be it Big Ben and the Millennium Bridge viewed from the Eye in London or Sacre Coeur and the Arc de Triomphe spied from atop of the Eiffel Tower -- no aerial-viewed skyline tops that of my beloved New York, especially when the sky goes dark and the lights ignite the city. This article from New York Magazine, though about five years old, lists 13 of Manhattan's sexiest sky high hangouts... 13 of which I plan to attend, review, photograph, and most definitely enjoy! Now I just need to pick which one to try first...

As my first week at home in a LONG time, it's been one full of errands. However, one errand had a fabulous pair of Mary Janes at the end of the tunnel, so it's all good. =) After unpacking some of my Stonehill junk this morning, Mom and I scoured the racks of Century 21 in Westbury (much easier to navigate than the store in Manhattan, but just as good, if you can make the trek!) to equip my wardrobe with some work attire. Four semi-corporate -- yet still very me -- looking dresses later, I craved the thrill of trying on a new pair of heels, despite the fact that I am still essentially incapable of strutting in them. All Marc Jacobs shoes are FURTHER discounted this week, so I couldn't help myself from indulging in a pair of nude, patent leather Mary Janes. Their cuteness masked the fact that I'm not so sure what they actually match with... Suggestions, anyone?

Tomorrow marks another day of errands and shopping... My bank account is going to look puh-thetic in just a few more hours...

Forever your [approaching] broke bargain hunter,

KR

mariachis in manhattan

In some miraculous way, I escaped from my post-finals dreamworld and made it home from the Cape. In a journey that involved five different modes of transportation, a broken Blackberry (I shed a few tears), and a United States atlas (the GPS is so last season), my trek back to reality ended with a very amusing subway ride. I'm not much of a 7 train rider, but it came in nice and handy this afternoon. As I traversed the tunnel to the platform, I actually welcomed the smell. No joke! After a few weeks, I'll be back to hating anything and everything about the aromatic stench of Manhattan's underground, but as me and my two Vera duffels navigated through the stiletto-stomping commuters on our way to the train, we were graciously welcomed to sit with a traveling mariachi band. We weren't serenaded, but their costumes and hysterical demeanor were amusing enough. What was best about their presence, though, was how they simply fit in among the corporate blazers, awful accents, and littered MetroCards. Huge hats and gold-adorned jeans, they barely phased the throng of the iPod-listening crowd that traveled along with them.

All in all, It was the perfect welcome back kind of ride and made me extremely excited for the summer ahead. Just like Dorothy said there's no place like home, to me, theres no place like New York. I wonder if Mr. Haan makes ruby slippers...

cape cool

Greetings from the bay! After days of wearing no shoes, drinking only Strongbow, napping on sand, and relishing in the amazingness of a nice grilled dinner, it's hard to imagine going back to reality. To be honest, I barely know what day it is. It's something in the water here, I guess. =) Though on the other hand, I was never so fabulous at this whole "relaxing" thing. As nice as a lazy afternoon is, being on the go is more my style, which makes me happy to know that after a week of salty breezes and saltier margaritas, the darling pair of islands I call home is calling my name.

Last night, we trekked to Pufferbellies to celebrate EP's 21st birfdy, as she so graciously named it. At this slightly sketchy townie bar that, for the night, was filled solely with Stonehill students and security guards, we, as one of the first groups of hooligans to arrive, definitely made our mark on the dance floor as Lady GaGa and Basshunter set the soundtrack of the evening. It was an outrageous night that's a blur of laser lights and disco balls... See you next year, Hyannis!

On another note, with grades finally released, I am officially a college senior. Somewhere along the journey of all-nighters, double features, and magazine subscriptions, I made it to this coveted time of "last times." Kleenex, anyone?

Lynchberg Lemonade

If I had to design the drink equivalent of my southern-wannabe roommate, nothing would work as well as this Tennessee-inspired cocktail. The Lynchberg Lemonade -- perfect for afternoons of porch sitting and pooch walking set to the tune of Sugarland and Little Big Town -- looks equally murderous and marvelous. But what is most interesting about this drinky drink is the history behind it: Lynchberg is a DRY town, yet home to the Jack Daniel's Whiskey Distillery. Funny!

For a Lynchberg Lemonade, courtesy of DrinkOfTheWeek:

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add in:

1 oz.Jack Daniels
1/2 oz.Triple Sec
1 oz. Sweet & Sour
Fill with 7up
Stir Well

Drink that whiskey like no one else can!

REAL AS EVER.

Those oh so fresh pumps arrived today. TODAY! My Crackberry alerted me with the mailroom's coveted "YOU HAVE A PACKAGE WAITING FOR YOU" e-mail as I farewell brunched with some friends... Though it's not really a farewell, considering the fact that in just THREE DAYS, we will be sans responsibilities, chilling Capeside while our beverages chill inside. The blender will be in full swing. It's that kind of vacation!

The arrival of my new "Amy" shoes was definitely a pleasant one, as they are both brand spankin' new and utterly authentic. (Thank GOD!) However, they boast a trusty Centrury 21 price tag of an amount that's about twelve Pufferbellies (sketchy Cape club we will be attending in rare form on Monday) drinks less than what I paid on eBay. The New Yorker in me was not too happy, as I can navigate the downtown discount department store gem in a little over a week. Though, on the upside, those of you who have braved Century 21 before know that shopping over eBay was a probably a little more convenient than an afternoon in the dungeon of a shoe annex... =)

Forever your discount shopping maven,

KR

eBay extrodinaire

Retail therapy has proven to be a highly effective cure of the finals blues. With just one click of the beloved "Buy It Now!" button on eBay, I purchased this pretty pair of Tory Burch "Amy" pumps for a serous fraction of the retail price, making the bargain hunter within ooze nothing but excitement. Let's just hope they're real...

Continuing on the eBay note, I recently scanned over my history of purchases on the online auction genius, noticing that I am officially an addict. With a purchase history that runs the gamut of textbooks (ick), bags, coats, and now shoes, I don't see this obsession stop any time soon.

nice & nautical

I took this picture a few weeks ago while adventuring through Rockport, MA. An adorably charming town on Cape Ann, just a quick ride from one of the most beautiful beaches I've been to, this hole-in-the-wall is famous for the Bearskin Neck, a "pedestrian" street of boutiques, gift shops, vintage photography studios, and seafood restaurants galore. (Hello lobster...!) I hadn't trekked North in a while, so the visit was a very nostalgic one that made me massively miss the summers I used to spend up there. I highly recommend that everyone enjoy some time on Cape Ann just once in their life.