b l o g o r e l l i

2008 Favorito

And this happened...how?

The Bean has been voted the Travel+Leisure Favorite City in America 2008, beating out its contender -- San Francisco! Not that I can't list numerous great things about living here in this Northeastern city, but I've lived for a short time in San Francisco too, which was  a m a z i n g .

Anyway, just a note that Boston is #17 for "Most Attractive People" (Miami is #1...?) and a hip-hip-hooray for Santa Fe, coming in #4 for Best Shopping.

(thx to Cho for the link)

Sláinte!

The sun is shining outside this St. Patrick's Day, and I'm getting excited for The Prof and I's annual hop over to the historical, local Doyle's Cafe later tonight. This year, we're extending the celebrations to dinner; I want to try this "best corned beef and cabbage dinner in Boston" self-proclaimed on the bar's web site.

Bust out the kilt, don some green, bake a batch of Guinness cupcakes -- and a lucky day to all...

What a Wonderful Life

well, and weekend...

After a very  f u l l  five days in the office, the weekend seemed busy but perfect (both in activity level and weather.) On Friday night, we had drinks with some of Mark's former co-workers (The 'other' Profs) in Sharon, MA. The house of our hosts was built by a Swedish company, with the design and decor being so Scandi chic, including a sauna on the lower level, sorta pre-IKEA IKEA!

Yesterday, Cho, Bobby, and Linc came over for brunch with me, The Prof, and his sister Jenn. We finally had a chance to christen our new dining room set with a proper meal. One especially notable addition were the mini apple pies from Fornax Bakery in downtown Ros. Each came topped with a little star cut out of dough, and seemed like a genius take along idea for fall get togethers.

After a nap, we headed to The Prof's cousin Diane and her husband Bruce's place in Sharon, MA for dinner with other cousin Danny (El Quatro) and his wife Karin. Also attending was El Cinco, Danny + Karin's son (the fifth Daniel of the family line,) although he was almost ready for bed by the time we belatedly arrived. These 'cousin dinners' are always fun, and I enjoy getting to hang out with the future hub's family in a more intimate setting since there are so many of them to chat with on the holidays.

Today we attended our last South End Open Market, the Market of the Living Dead, and once again had a great turnout in the booth and a healthy amount of sales. We also were lucky enough to attract special visitors: Cho and BBK, The O'Meara family (Mark's sister Tara, her hub Michael, Flower Princess Niamh, and killer cute baby Cian,) Tara and Hal the Norwegian, and new friends The McClures. The day flew by and (almost) too soon, we settled into our bar stools at Gaslight and toasted a successful season at Market.

I applied for a date at the Design Hive so I'm interested to see if I am accepted, as that show was the buzz of the vendor talk at today's market. Regardless, finally realizing the longtime dream of selling my treasured vintage finds has been so rewarding...mostly for my overall self view (and a little for my bank account.) The excitement of accomplishing a goal set years ago, and having such wonderfully positive reinforcement from consumers/friends/both made me so happy and proud. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who came out, said a kind word, took an interest, or sent a message!

A few of my fave vendors from this week:

Zoo Guu - adorable plush animals (handmade and can be customized by age, i.e. baby= embroidered eyes, toodler= button eyes)

Carciofi - really interesting metalworked jewelry that is rough and somehow softly organic at the same time, the Root Bracelets and Circle Rings were my favorite (she and her boothmate Leslie Shershow had the space next to us)

Good4You Herbal Teas - handmade, blended, and packed by the creator in her licensed kitchen, the teas seem like a useful (and economic) gifts for the holidays

Enhabiten - handmade pillows with designer fabrics (think Amy Butler) on top, organic wool on the botton, and buckwheat hulls/dried lavender buds inside= addictive texture and calming scent

and, of course, a few options for the babes...

PogiBabies - their original design PogiPods are the perfect paf tote (say that three times fast,) the vinyl interior is lint-free and handily cleaned with an anti-bacterial wipe

Hoosier Magnolia - tees, quilts, and onesies with unique stitching, fabric, and trimming details

 

See ya next season!

Them Dames

Only three days left before the midnight sign-up deadline for the Boston Derby Dames' tryouts! I seriously pondered joining these roller ladies a few years ago, but (honestly) never had the rocks...or time, unfortunately.

"The Boston Derby Dames have been getting their blocks off since May 2005 when the first intrepid rollergirls began training at rinks and hockey courts throughout greater Boston. The league now boasts more than 50 active skaters on three home teams: the Cosmonaughties, Nutcrackers, and Wicked Pissahs. Our all-star travel team, the Boston Massacre, has been in action since October 2005 and has traveled to play teams in Las Vegas, Long Island, and Seattle, and has hosted Charm City (MD), Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dominion (VA), Maine, and more.

We are Boston’s first and only all-female, DIY, skater-owned and -operated flat track roller derby league and proud members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)."

Come on! How cool is women's roller derby?!?! If, like me, you crave alternative forms of exercise which help release repressed anger (or if, also like me, you've always wanted to get into a bar fight,) the BDD could be your personal trainer and therapist. HA!

I'd join for the team names and "uniforms" alone. Plus, the BDDs are serious about their sport and look like they know how to throw a great soiree. What's to lose?

Tryout info, schedules, and FAQs here.

Oiiiiiiiiil!

We finally broke down and ordered an oil delivery for today, which means that I won't need to wear my down booties WITH my fleece-lined slippers around the homestead tonight (even though I will anyway.) When I checked on the prices a month or so ago, the figure was 60+ cents per gallon more expensive, so I guess that waiting makes us smart consumers?

Tonight, I'm totally gonna go home from the gym, blast the heat...and drink a nice smooth milkshake! Now on to another important decision for the Fall/Winter: thermal curtains or plastic (or both) on all the windows to conserve our precious heat? I'd never heard of energy conserving curtains until recently, but if JCPenney is having a 60% off sale on their selection, and I'm spared hours of taping, cutting, and blow drying plastic...I may hop on that bandwagon.

Yank Foliage

As I realized yesterday while waiting for an hour outside due to commuter rail "mechanical difficulties," Fall has officially arrived. The leaves are not only changing color, but some are falling off the trees already (!) One definite perk of living in New England is the opportunity to see some stunning foliage within just an hour or so's drive.

Cho sent me this neat foliage map via Boston.com, which shows in real time, where and what colors to expect here " up norther." As one can observe, Maine is already in the red zone, so plan that leaf peepin' for the next month!

Fritatta Regatta '08

Once again, Sarah + Jeffé (now officially "The Stammens") hosted their annual Fritatta Regatta. We gathered in the lovely yard behind their apartment building to eat, yes, fritattas ( but also delicious scones, homemade bread+jam, and other goodies,) drink french press coffee, and enjoy the wonderful New England fall Sunday. After the gathering, everyone walked down to Head of the Charles, the yearly rowing races on the Charles River near Harvard Square.

Thanks to The Stammens for hosting...and be sure to check out their Italian honeymoon photographs, too. Ciao!

The Frittata Regatta 2008 crowd

Voila -- fritattas, complete with adorable air mail envelopes as labels

Moose (left) and Squirrel, our mascots for the morning...

Pups + The Barbarian Baby King

On the way into Harvard Square, we saw this ride <drool,> an Electra!

Cho and BBK "down by the river, down by the River Charles." (Oh, come on now.)

BBK= Bundled Baby King

A little Murforelli PDA, with some start-up warmth from our hot apple ciders.

SOWA Style

Our last South End Open Market (Oct 5) was totally hoppin', mostly due to the Baked Fresh event, complete with bands and scads of college students. We hd a busy day in the booth and loved all of the great crowd energy. Plus, I made it into the "SOWA Style" photostream (see below)!

We only have one market day remaining: October 26, 2008, which is also the closing day of the SEOM and Market of the Living Dead. The day promises lots of fun costumes, a pumpkin carving contest...and perhaps some deep discounts to clean out the "cabinet" for winter, hmm?

Hope to see you on the 26th!

Some shots from Baked Fresh...

The booth, full of shoppers!

Wündercabinet table display (thx to A Classic Girl for all her help during the entire day; I couldn't have done it without ya!)

Shopgirl

Do these ladeez have crazy good style, or what?

Mark yer calendars for OCTOBER 26 -- the last market (for us, and in general.)

We Were There

I was wrong about not wearing my new, red Red Sox cap again this season. One of Bobby Crocker's clients generously gave him tickets to last night's Red Sox vs. Angels game and he invited The Prof and I along -- and the home team WON! All I can say looking back on the night is, "whoa" (and, "I shouldn't have drank that fifth beer.")

Thanks, Bobby...it was fun to finally go to "a game" with you and Cho!

JPOS + SEOM

That's Jamaica Plain Open Studios and South End Open Market, which I'll be attending this Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The JPOS looks to have lots of promising art and handcrafted pieces; I'm most interested in taking Alexander (my vintage Schwinn) over to check out Olaria Studios, owned by my new Market friend Amy, and J Hill, for some possible early paper goods Xmas shopping.

On Sunday, September 28, 2008, I'm opening up das Cabinet at SEOM from 10am - 4pm. Pray for sunshine, although the forecast says "cloudy," which is still better than "rain."

Hope to see you there!