the danger of s'mores

S'mores have had a great PR campaign. We associate them with camp fires, toasty nights by the fire place and all sorts of warm, fuzzy things. Sterling Cooper couldn't have written a better pitch for them. When I went to the grocery store to get some graham crackers, marshmallows and Hersheys, I wasn't aware of the danger of s'mores. If I had knows, maybe I wouldn't have been so quick to rush to the checkout line. 

When I woke up this morning, I passed the fresh fruit, the toast, the eggs, the cereals and without even thinking, I laid a graham cracker on my plate/ I placed one marshmallow on top of it, two Hershey squares and then another marshmallow. I placed the tower into the microwave and let it go on high power for 15 seconds. I watched the marshmallows start to puff up and when I pulled the plate out, I placed the second graham cracker on top and watched the marshmallow and chocolate ooze out the sides. I took my first bite. Happiness exploded inside of me. 

I went through this routine three more times today.  There was no feeling of coziness, not a fire in sight. Just me standing in my small galley kitchen with the light of the microwave shining on my face.

My supplies are still high but I don't know what I will do when they start to run down. Will I keep feeding this s'mores monster that has found a home inside of me? Will I try to destroy it by eating the delicious mangos I loved just days ago? The worst part is I don't even know what I want. I realize that eating s'mores with each of my meals may not be sustainable but the thought of giving them up feels too unbearable at the moment. Please help.

Sometimes you just have to get where you need to go.

How to get flawless skin.

I am not a big fan of foundation but I like to have a little coverage on my face. Since I wear sunscreen every day, I like to have another layer to minimize shine and usually top off with some powder. A few years ago I accidentally bought a tinted moisturizer and became a big fan but never found one particular product that really stood out. Until now.

I ran into Perricone MD in some magazine and thought the No Foundation Foundation sounded like what I was looking for. It is perfect! I no longer wear a separate sunscreen and because the foundation gives a nice natural finish, I don't have to wear powder either. Give it a try next time you are in a cosmetics store!

best pictures ever

I am always amazed by what creative things parents do to capture their children's first years. I thought I had seen it all but the most amazing series I have seen yet came to my attention last week. Jason Lee took capturing his kids' childhood to a whole new level. Some of my favorite shots are below but check out the whole series and lots more good stuff at his website!

Book Igloo?!

How amazing would it be to have a book Igloo in your house? Artists Miler Lagos  made one for the Magnanmetz Gallery in New York. (I don't think its on display on there anymore).

I wonder if there is a way to build a light wire frame so you could have a more secure structure and you could still read the books without compromising the soundness of the Igloo.

If I had one of these, I would never leave my house. 

my first "pet"

A few months ago, I noticed a bird in the little alcove above our bedroom door. Every morning it would sit there and watch me get ready. Some mornings, its partner would sit on the balcony and they would both watch me get ready. 

At first, I just thought they were random birds but soon I realized it was the same two. I pulled a chair up to the alcove and saw that there was a little nest there. I love waking up each morning and getting ready with the birds.

Our friend told us that they birds were Mourning Doves. It makes sense since the two parent birds have been around the whole time and a few weeks ago, two baby birds made an appearance. In their first weeks, I would watch the mom bird trying to teach the baby birds how to fly by flapping its wings.

The poor baby birds are a little slow at learning. They can kind of slowly flap down but they have to wait and regain their energy before trying to fly up again. They hide behind the broom while they wait. 

Look at those little babies growing so fast! This past weekend a crow tried to scare the doves out of their home and I missed them so much for two days. Luckily the rain drove away the crow and they have settled back into their home.

Here is a shot of the little family without the dad. Since I have never had a pet, it has been so nice to have these guys around. Mourning doves can reproduce up to six times an year so there is a strong likelihood that our new pets are around to stay. I think it might be time to start thinking about names for them.

Do you know that Mourning Doves are Michigan's state bird of peace? Its nice to have a little piece of home here! We got them a little house but I think it is too small for their big family!

my favorite scene from a movie ever

If we were not to include scenes from Nicholas Cage movies, this may be my favorite scene from a movie ever.

MiiR

Have you heard of MiiR? They are a company that has adopted the Tom's 1 for 1 philosophy with a twist. For each water bottle you purchase for them, they help make it possible for a person to have water for one year.

Today LivingSocial has a $10 for $20 deal on their bottles. Check it out and learn more about MiiR here.

To top it off, aren't these bottles so sleek and stylish? I will be getting two of the insulated bottles so I can use them for lemonade in the summer and chai in the winter.

They also have lots of fun options to mix and match.

The Mayans were right.

via Reddit

RIP 

November 30, 1929 - April 18, 2012

Wall of Clocks?

I like the idea of having a wall of clocks in the house. We have a hallway that goes on forever and I am thinking of covering one of the walls with all sorts of clocks.

Check out this clock backdrop, one couple used for their wedding.

via Green Wedding Shoes

How about a wall of one clock in different colors?

via besttopdesign

There might be too much going on in this room.

via Mixandchic

I love this idea. Could bring so much texture and depth into a room.

via RuthiAuda

For a classy look.

via Pinterest

Lusting

I want this coat so bad. The online pictures do not do it justice. I must accomplish something soon so I can reward myself with it. I made really good Biryani tonight. Surely, that deserves something.

Colors

This might be my favorite picture of the trip.

At the end of every trip we go on, we ask ourselves the question, "Do we want to live here?" I love New York because it is vibrant, diverse, full of life and energy. When I go there, I always feel like its a place where anything could happen. I love that. But I also feel dirty, claustrophobic and on the verge of an anxiety attack. So, although I love New York and will keep visiting it tons, I'm not sure its a place I could live. Unless I was a millionaire. Then, I could probably swing it.

I loved all the colors in the city. Some shots below. For the full set of pictures from the trip, click here.

PULP

The Rolling Stone review may have said it best:


"Well, that was excellent."


I can still feel the energy from the show and if I was in New York tonight, I would definitely be at the second show. Jarvis Cocker was born to entertain. His energy was so strong that even the impressive Radio City Hall could not contain it. He slithered up the side railings as he seductively danced to This Is Hardcore. I heard at least one man shout, "I would go gay for you Jarvis!" I can't be sure it wasn't Feraz.

Jarvis bantered with the audience all night. He quoted the Great Gatsby and strangely the audience went nuts. He threw snack size candy bars into the crowd and the audience went nuts. He had an "eye spy" camera which he turned on the audience and their images blew up on the screens behind him. Of course, the audience went nuts. 

We haven't been able to stop talking about Pulp since we left the show. We've been watching videos on the TV, retelling our favorite parts again and again and thinking of how we can try to see them again. Thank you for an amazing night Pulp!

Here is a video from last night. Two of those bopping heads are ours:

PULP

Do you know who PULP are? Most of the people I've mentioned them to in the last week or two don't. I thought everyone knew who PULP was! Or most people, at least. Granted, I didn't know who they were until a young British boy started putting them on all the mix tapes he made me.

Here is a good starter kit of PULP for the novice listener. Hope you love them!

NYC Day 1

via ChicagoTribune

Arthur Miller is my favorite American playwright and Death of a Salesman is my second favorite play of his so I was so excited when I saw that it was playing in New York. I didn't think we would be able to get tickets so last minute because it had been sold out from the beginning but decided to give Craigslist a try. We ended up scoring great seats in the center of Orchestra. 

I was so excited to see Philip Seymour Hoffman in the role of Willy Loman. Twenty minutes into the play I forgot that he was Philip Seymour Hoffman and only saw Willy Loman. That is the mark of someone who has really mastered their craft. I think Andrew Garfield will come into the character more as he plays it. He is doing a great job with it but I would love to see him really unleash his anger in the scenes where Biff is trying to get through to his dad. 

Overall, just a great play. We had just expected to see the celebrities in the cast but sitting a couple of rows ahead of us were Leonardo Dicaprio and Tobey Maguire.  We also saw Ethan Coen and Dennis Leary among some others. It was kind of cool for us but it made me think of how difficult it is to be a celebrity. I would hate my face which made it so hard for me to live a normal existence. 

Other than seeing the show, we have been getting all over New York because Feraz has never really been. On Saturday we went to a diner for breakfast (no good diners in DC!), to the Met, the Highline, Chelsea Market and the Halal Guys cart. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

The MET never disappoints.

Loved the new Islamic Art exhibit. 

Strolled through Central Park. What a difference in the trees from DC!

Every street should have an outdoor florist.

We found this amazing little Turkish restaurant quite randomly.

Piping hot bread was brought to the table.

Loving our little holiday so far. More updates tomorrow. T minus 32 hours until PULP!