Taking a Walk Back a Few Decades

Last night, to celebrate [the other] KR and KW's return from grad school, BL and I joined them for another bar hopping extravaganza in the East Village. Starting our festivities at Prof. Thom's (it's becoming a favorite) and bouncing around in between, we ended up at Beauty Bar, a 14th St. beauty parlor turned bar. The charm of the salon was still there--you can even get manicures in between cocktails! Best of all, the back of the "parlor" has a very trippy dance floor, where we broke it down to Madonna classics alongside a most creative cast of characters. We looked a bit out of place amongst the crowd of spiky haired hipsters, but raged nonetheless! Beauty Bar, I'll be back.

Today, cousin MR and I are going to the Brooklyn Museum's Andy Warhol exhibit--how cultural! Stay tuned for a review.

And finally, who is rooting for GLEE during tonight's Emmy Awards? I AM!

Picnicing

Today marks my team's summer picnic at Thomson Reuters. Do not be surprised if I spend my weekend cooped up, crying about how I was fired over my inability to bring in a victory during an impromptu softball game. All in all though, I think it's going to be fun and I'm happy to have a day outside. After all that rain, some gorgeous weather is just what we need--and have!--today.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Bargain of the WEEK

My coworker RA told me about Lifebooker during a rainy day cafeteria lunch in our building this week, and it was the literal sunshine to such a dreary week. Similar to Groupon, Lifebooker offers deals on all the little extras and splurges that, for me, are the perfect way to reward yourself after a big accomplishment...or just because!

Urban Shoe Myths

For those of you fall fashionistas who are up-to-date on the September Vogue, you probably spied these awesome booties that Mr. Blahnik designed for Liberty of London. Not that a pair of Manolos are in my near future or anything, but the design of this pair of kicks was inspired by a rose. Just thought I'd share. Aren't they pretty?

Take me to Thailand

Five things that made me smile today:

1. After work, SA and I went for a walk in the rain. There's just something about walking in a downpour that's kind of relaxing and cleansing, which made for an awesome end to my day. We started in Brooklyn Heights, made our way through Cobble Hill, and ended in Carroll Gardens. We also dined at Ghang, a Thai food restaurant on Court St. that was far to cheap for our own good. Gotta love Brooklyn!

2. I'm up-to-date on both Mad Men and True Blood.

3. I dressed in a leopard dress (but a tasteful one!) to work today, and did not get any weird looks... to my knowledge, at least. I'll admit I was a little hesitant to rock so much rawr-ness in Corporate America, but with some tasteful black heals and minimal bling, I think I pulled off the excessive animal print pretty well. (Did I mention I'm obsessed with anything leopard and could not be happier that it's very "big" this fall? Not that I ever care about what's big... nothing will ever stop me from wearing leopard!)

4. It's a crisp 60 degrees out, making tonight perfect for sleeping with the windows open wide while I curl under my covers enveloped by as many blankets as I have in my palace. The more blankets on me, the better I sleep.

5. I thrifted a leopard print pencil skirt for $2.99 on eBay. $2.99!!!! That's less than the September Vogue I attempted to read on the F train this morning. (Note to self: ten-pound magazine + zooming subway car = FAIL.)

Happy Monday!

Do Not Be Deceived by My Tan.

Disclaimer: my summer has involved far less beachy keen afternoons than this photo's sunkissed deception suggests. One thing it was not lacking in, however, was midnight pizzeria trips. Honestly, is there anything better than that delicious slice you chow down on while gallivanting between destinations on a Saturday night?!

Last night, after playing socialite at 230 5th, pretending that my $15 bellini was not the wallet-killing monster that it turned out to be, SA, BL, EK, JT, LS and I did some serious hopping around the city, hightailing from the frat-infested Murray Hill to the hipster-centric East Village, where our pit stop at Artichoke provided delightful nourishment to continue the night at New York's ode to Boston, Prof. Thom's. It was an awesome night with awesome friends. :-)

And, in case anyone was wondering, I made out insanely well during my trip to Century 21 yesterday afternoon. I'm telling you, never visit the downtown destination again. The Queens location has all the same stuff--clothes, shoes, and accessories galore--and you don't have to worry about tripping over tourists! Among some other goodies, I scored my first Marc Jacobs dress, which will look absolutely ferocious when paired with some bright tights and black booties come fall!

Pop Goes the Warhol Weasel

Though its extended Thursday and Friday hours don't start until October, I'm somehow going to chisel some time into my unchiselable schedule to hightail it to the Brooklyn Museum's "Andy Warhol: The Last Decade" exhibit. Those of you who ever set foot in the most happening spot at Stonehill -- otherwise known as the senior year dorm room of yours truly -- know that JT and I dedicated an entire wall to Warhol quote posters, compliments of art.com. I had delusions of grandeur when I thought I'd actually have them all matted, framed and mounted on the wall of my current living quarters: they currently reside rolled inside a rubber band. But regardless of my decorating incapabilities, I NEED to see this exhibit before it closes on September 12th. Who's with me? It's only $8!

In other news, I've got a pretty decent weekend lined up, minus the three hours I've dedicated to dusting the domain tomorrow (Mamadukes and Aunt K, are you proud?! Someday, my maid will handle this, but for now, me and Mr. Clean are as official as a Facebook relationship). 230 5th and a lobster bake are in the works in honor of LS's return and AR's departure, respectively, making my weekend the perfect mix of rooftop sassiness and backyard comfort.

Enjoy the sunshine,
KR

Anything to Chill Out

Dumpster diving has a whole new meaning--and that's coming from someone who totally advocates finding your next big furniture treasure off the side of the road! (Just call it "antique" or "thrifted" and your guests will never know that you actually shoved the end table that's cradling their cocktail into the trunk of your car while sniping it from your neighbor's curb on bulk trash day.)

Would YOU ever go swimming in a dumpster? New Yorkers are diving to new depths (ha, I'm so FUNNY!) to catch a break from the suffocating city heat: they're diving into dumpsters, filled with chlorinated water, along avenues as prestigious as Park! I might just have to check this out, simply to say that, yes, I joined the throng of maniacal Manhattanites for a little Saturday afternoon dip in a dumpster.

Time to break out the bikini... Shield your eyes.

yipee for over the knee

Snag a pair of these babies before the rest of the fashionista nation realizes that over-the-knee boots are, in fact, fall's most gotta-have trend, and not just a footwear option for dominatrixes, Halloween costumes and NB. Aldo made me very happy while I strolled the Queen's Center Mall after my yoga class yesterday afternoon. Nicely done! They also had a great selection of lace-up oxford heels... but that's for the next paycheck!

Fall is in the Air

More so than January 1st, the onset of fall has always been a time of fresh starts in the vida loca of KR. The gorgeous weather that we've been having here in New York has me especially psyched about all that the changing season has to offer. Here are a few things that have me itching for September:

The never-ending amazingness of metallic footwear! I spied these Toms on KB while on the Cape a few weeks ago and would have totally stolen them had she not been my roomie for the weekend!

Colored tights make me insanely happy--I loved them even before the Gossip Girl gang made them a wardrobe staple. We Love Colors has, by far, the best selection of bright tights I've ever seen. But the question remains: are colored tights ever office-appropriate? Hmm...

Getting back in the swing of yoga! Not that it's an excuse, but this heatwave of a summer was a bit much to spend 90 minutes a week sweating up a storm while downward dogging in a 100 degree room. Now that it's fall, I can look forward getting some zen back in my life... starting today!

Those shoes are cute!

Last night's annual R Family Pub Crawl was a raging success. While we didn't do too much crawling, we certainly kept Ulysses in business, taking over our own section of the cobblestone street and populating it with my favorite Irish lads and lassies. And, to top it all off, some of my favorite coworkers joined for the evening and laid down all kinds of charm on my relatives! The overdose of dudes must be what I get for working at the intersection of the finance and technology industries... No complaints, though!
Post-crawl, while taking a morning stroll through Park Slope en route to brunch, I passed by a girl, who looked not much older then me, leafing through a magazine while staffing a mini-clothing sale outside her apartment. "Cute shoes," I said to RJ as we passed by. "And cheap, too," she responded. And what do you know--the Brooklynite happened to be clotheshorse and fashion blogger Jessica Schroeder of one of my favorite blogs, What I Wore. As inhabitants of the same city, I've always wondered if we'd ever run into each other... so voila! She was just as adorable as she is on the site, AND complimented me on my dress!

I'm spending my Saturday back in Queens, enjoying the beautiful breeze that's floating through the borough! Have a great weekend everyone. :-)

Bushwick.

The time has come to enlighten you all--including my new coworker readers KW and MB, hey guys!--of my trip to Bushwick. Yes, Bushwick.

Once upon a Tuesday night, seven Long Island natives trekked from their respective jobs to the wasteland knows as Williamsburg for some pub trivia. Much to their dismay, trivia was a non-occurrence. In response, Park Slope resident RJ suggested an impromptu rendezvous at Roberta's, the grittier that gritty pizza zone in Bushwick. Bushwick?! Come on now, R! Man, do I love Brooklyn, but Buckwick's a little outta my league!

But off we went, by way of the L, to Bushwick, where we waited a whole hour for a table in the converted garage of a restaurant that served, quite literally, little slices of heaven. If you're willing and ready to wait, make the trip.

Key takeaway from this experience: New York has gone culinarily crazy if we now trek to Bushwick just to be fed!

This is how wild I am.

It's 8 PM on a Friday night. I'm a hip and happening twenty-something. I've got energy to last me days and quite the zest for life. And I'm currently in my pajamas, enjoying the air conditioning on full-blast as I catch up on some quality blog reading. My Sri Lankan pal and coworker CA asked me today if I ever relax... so C, yes: I relax. Just not often. ;-)

Here are some recent musings, thoughts and whatnots of mine...

-I have a strange obsession with jumping ship and moving to Hong Kong. You know, six months to a year... just a lil trip. Or maybe London. Who knows! Life is great in New York, but I'm welcome to a drastic change.

-My Texan relatives are in town. YAY!

-Foley + Corinna makes, by far, the best leather bags. Buy one.

-This humidity needs to end. J.Crew's fall apparel is starting to come it, and it has be itching for blazers, tights, and boots.

That's all for now.