humans.

Do you all ever look at Humans of New York? I just love them. I forget about it and then every once in a while when I need a little pick-me up I scroll through for a couple minutes. For those who aren't already familiar, the photographer started taking pictures of people on the streets of NY in 2010 and it has just grown from there. It is amazing - I laugh at so many - people can be really funny on the spot. But also when reading through them, you get a sense of the myriad of challenges that people are facing and living through. It really is amazing. I have no idea what I would say if he stopped me. What do you think you would say?!

Here is just a quick sampling of a couple that I loved today!

sunny side down.

I know, I know my posting has been sporadic of late - blame it on the humidity. I do have a lot to tell you all about - including re-doing a bedside table with my new sander and carrot cake - but based on all your comments of late, doesn't seem like you all mind the wait!

Nonetheless, wanted to share Gail Collins' op-ed, The Eggs and Us, from this weekend. Good stuff Gail and in light of the SCOTUS decision this morning, you should read it.

caked.

I plan to make this for someone special in my life at some point very soon. Amazing.

virunga.

Virunga. Go see it!

No really, go see it.

Ben, Justin and I went to a screening of Virunga last night at the Capitol. I can't encourage you enough to go see it. The documentary covers the amazing story of the struggle to protect one of the world's most biodiverse parks that is in eastern Congo. The Park also is home to the last non-captive mountain gorillas and follows the group of park rangers who are literally putting their lives on the line to protect the Park from poachers, M23 rebels, the Congolese army, and illegal resource exploitation. It is a heroic story. Beautifully shot. Timely. And just all around brilliant.

Jordan had mentioned the film to me a couple weeks ago and is friends with one of the producers, so when it turned out they were doing a screening in DC, it was an obvious must-see. I left awe-struck, inspired and horrified. It really will move you to the core...

selfie time.

Oh yeah, and how great is this Kennedy selfie?!

catch-up.

It's the weekend - thank god! We are both leaving the office early today and driving with Emmy, Ryan and Charlie for a wedding weekend to celebrate Brittany and Aaron getting hitched! We are headed back to Chestertown, Maryland - also known as the land of the best baguettes this side of the Mississippi. If you need us tomorrow morning, Ben and I will be at the Evergrain Bakery stuffing our faces - click here for the post from last year if you have no idea what I am talking about!

On another note, I haven't had time to update on all the other things that have been going on. So here is a quick catch-up to make up for lost time...

A couple weeks ago, Ben and I stopped into HR-57 on H Street for some late-night music. Interesting point of note, HR-57 is a center for the preservation of jazz and blues and named after the House Resolution passed in 1987 which designated jazz as a "rare and valuable national American treasure". This little jazz club is a historical establishment in the neighborhood and also has a foundation side that is doing great work. Anyway, it turned out it wasn't jazz but Cuban the night we popped in. We loved it. Especially Ben. We had been meaning to go for a while, since it is so close to the house, so we are determined to make this more regular....

Last weekend, we went for that hike with Mols and Rags. It was fantastic and just what we needed - some fresh air, trees and a very random trip out to Virginia that ended with one of the oddest brunch experiences I have had in a long while. Great time nonetheless...

We also went to the Pride Parade...truly the only and best parade I can handle. 

Oh yeah, and last week, while bowling at the White House, I took this photo because while I have seen this before, I had never noticed that Nixon is clearly over the line!

To wrap it up from here, one last thing.  You have probably all seen it already, but George Will's piece in the WashingtonPost about rape this past week is infuriating.  I've never liked him and never felt he contributed to productive dialogue, but to remember on this fine Friday that misogyny is so prevalent and to ensure you don't become desensitized to it and your blood pressure still spikes when you confront it, I recommend a read through. There have been plenty of responses, calls for his resignation, boycott of Amazon until the WashingtonPost takes action and statements from over 20 senators denouncing his column, this piece from HuffingtonPost, College Rape: A Privilege? is particularly well done.

On that note, hope everyone has a great weekend!

fig-goat-cheese.

Last month, I mentioned this Fig & Goat's Cheese print that I was planning on buying for the kitchen. Well, I can report back that it has arrived and we love it! Also, my experience with society6 has been some of the best customer service I have encountered of late. I will definitely go back here in the future and highly recommend it to all of you! And for your viewing pleasure, here is the print all hung up...

getaways.

This is going to sound a little crazy, but I am determined for us to take more little getaways while we can. We joke about our lives ending when we end up having kids but yeah, the quick and easy weekend getaway, really is going to be one of the first casualties. Mind you, this is not happening any time soon (seriously, we have years (plural)), but I want to be sure we are taking advantage while we can! In addition to Philadelphia (click here for more about our upcoming Philly trip!) and Assateague Island (click here for that mention)...here are some of the other places topping my list....

• Asheville ~ two of my brothers actually lived in Asheville for some summers as raft guides and they always said great things. It would be a quick trip, the town is cool and laid back, and if nothing else we would have the Blue Ridge Mountains and I would want to see the Biltmore house!

• Nashville ~ has long been on my list and why not, right? Good music and good food with a little southern charm...flights are reasonable and it would be perfect for 2 days. 

• Pittsburgh ~ for some reason, Pittsburgh reminds me of Valparaiso, Chile. Maybe it is the old-school cable cars going up Duquesne Incline or the fact that it's coal history reminds me almost of a port city, but man do I want to go to Pittsburgh. Great art and the city has a bunch of bridges...need I say more? Oh yeah, the beautiful train station too....

• West Virginia ~ my brother, Marc, was born in West Virginia and yet I don't remember ever having been in the state. The Monongahela National Forest is supposed to be stunning and apparently Charles Town is charming with captivating scenery (picture mountains and the Shenandoah River), why haven't we been there yet?!

• Gettysburg ~ true story, growing up I had a shrine in my bedroom dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. Seriously. I know more about Lincoln than you ever need to know. We also dedicated part of a family vacation to a week in Springfield, Illinois so that I could visit every possible site. And I also know the Gettysburg address by heart. All this is to say, I want to go spend a day at Gettysburg (someone recommended using the audio tour cd in your car) to see the battlefield!

There is always more where this came from...and of course destinations that I so want to get to for a short trip but are a bit farther and costlier (Austin and Chicago for example) but I love always having a couple places short-listed to aim for!

tgif.

This week was a long one..what do you all have planned for the weekend? We are going on a hike tomorrow with Molly&Rags. It will be a very early morning wake-up since Mols says we have to be at the trail head by 7 am! We are also going to the Pride Parade and on Sunday we are meeting up with Becky&Matt and going to check out their new home!

In other news, isn't this a beautiful chair? I want to rock in it right now...

And check out these photos of North Brother Island right off the Bronx...seems like prime realestate and makes me want to go explore!

This is already a random smattering, so last but not least, this lone rose in a water bowl has been making my week...I have never been one for roses but our random rose bush (that desperately needs to be moved) has been making me think twice about getting rid of her altogether....

alarming.

How great is this Covent Alarm Clock from Anthropologie? Love it!

neighborhood news: meet angelika.

There is a lot happening in NoMa right now, not least of which is that the Angelika pop-up opens next week! Cheers to great independent films just blocks away. The full Angelika film center is scheduled to open in 2015 but this will tide me over in the meantime. Also of note, construction has started in the Uline Arena as well!

read time.

Read of the day, Friedman's piece in the NYTimes, Iraq's Best Hope. It is worth your three minutes today...

books a million.

I only read one book at a time. Until now I guess. Right now I am in the middle of three books. I came across this Summer Reading Suggestions from the Boston Globe a couple weeks ago and figured I would share. In truth, I haven't used it yet because I want to plow through what I have going on - but for all of you needing a book for the beach, this might be helpful since it prompts book suggestions based on what you have already read and liked....

cooling system.

At least a year or two ago, Ben and I were in Target and he wanted to buy a cooler. The likes of this generic, plastic Coleman cooler.

I told him no. I wanted to get a retro cooler or at least something with a little more heft and personality for just as cheap. I figured I could hunt one down on Craig's list. I haven't quite gotten around to doing that but I was reminded of it a couple weeks ago when I opened the Crate&Barrel catalogue and they are now featuring retro-styled coolers, including this Picnic Cooler.

Also just of interest and note, World Market has basically the exact same cooler for $20 less, the Cherry Red Retro Cooler.

A quick survey of craigslist today didn't come up with a cherry colored cooler...but how great would this one be if you really wanted to go big on the vintage style and had the space? Love it!

Or this one?

Summer is here and we are already planning a number of outdoor activities that may just require a cooler...and I am thinking that Crate&Barrel/World Market version is a manageable size and might just fit the bill. Thoughts?!

circling back.

Oy vey. Sorry everyone for the hiatus. Life has been busy and stressful the last couple of weeks. That said, I saved some links to share with you all and figure that might get us back into the swing of things. First, this Wall Street Journal interview with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Also, Humans of New York took pictures at the MET Gala and I love the little snippets (also on the second to last one - you can see the Beckhams in the background...).

This Pilsner bottle opener would be a great gift, wouldn't it?  I made this Berry Skillet Cobbler last weekend when we had some friends over for dinner, and it turned out well. And what do we think of this halter romper?!