JBalducci Jewelry

A friend purchased the ebony wood necklace pictured below as a gift for me from San Francisco based jeweler, JBalducci, a couple years back. It's been one of my favorite pieces since and I always get compliments when I wear it.

Finally, some useful technology...

Just when I thought my iPhone couldn't make me any happier, I discovered free apps that allow you to view the latest runway shows of all the big designers. Check out Fashion Network, Style.com and Chanel. There's also an app that will calculate sales discounts called onSale!

Shoes I Could Die Happy In...

If I am ever lucky enough to put these beauties on my feet, they are never coming off!

All Weather

I've been looking for boots that meet these very specific criteria:

1) Waterproof (no rubber allowed)
2) Warm
3) Flat
4) Lightweight
5) Comfortable to walk around in for hours

And of course above all, they have to be pretty.

I don't want to haul suitcases of shoes around for my upcoming trip to New York since I will be making a trek to Philly and back. I figure with a nice pair of comfortable waterproof boots, I will be covered for almost any weather and occasion other than dinner and the theater. These are the options so far. (They can all be found at Nordstrom.com except the first pictured, which is available through piperlime.com.)

Ruffles

I love Prada's fall runway shoes.

Fragrance Crush

I picked up a sample of Victor & Rolf's new scent, Antidote, a week ago at Saks. I've been crushing on it ever since. It's actually a men's cologne, but I wear it anyway. It has a very warm peppery smell. It kind of reminds me of Prada's original perfume.

In Honor of Warren

(Via FFFFound.com)

NYC or Bust

Tyler and I are both quickly approaching our biggest work deadline of the year. Tyler currently holds the family record for most consecutive hours worked in one day by one hour with a whopping 21 hours arriving home at 5:00 AM last Thursday. Three weeks and a few days to go. We are planning a trip to New York to relax post October 15th. I'd love to hear every one's favorite shops, restaurants, things to do, etc. so I can day dream about my trip to help get me through the last few weeks of crunching.

The other thing that helps..... thinking of these on second mark down.

Elizabeth Charles

My favorite SF boutique is Elizabeth Charles on Fillmore St. I haven't actually purchased anything there yet because of the hefty price tags, but I love going in to browse their beautiful clothes for inspiration. Some day....

The Short Story

I love a good short story. Novels are great too, but there is just something about the intensity and concentration of theme in a short story. I recently read an article in SF Magazine about the politics behind the short story and how it is nearly impossible to get published unless you are willing to write a novel. So I say bring back the short story.

One of my favorite books, The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of short stories about the culture clash between the East and West. She went on the write The Namesake, a novel, which while very good just wasn't as strong as her short stories. Well now she is back with what she does best with her most recent collection of shorts titled Unaccustomed Earth.

The article mentioned a few online sources for short stories that I am interested in checking out.

Opium Magazine
Narrative Magazine
McSweeney's

P.S.

The release date is set for February 13, 2009.

New York, I Love You

I can hardly contain my excitement!!!

On My To Do List

I recently came across the San Francisco based service Envy Concierge. They offer personal assistance by the hour or project. I have about 4 months out of the year when I do nothing but work and try to squeeze in 8 hours of sleep and a shampoo. This service will do your shopping, run errands, or take care of other personal projects on your to do list. I think I might look into this more.

Teeny Tiny Parsons Desk

When I moved to San Francisco 8 years ago, believe it or not, I had a very hard time finding smaller more compact furniture for apartment living. It was back in the day when Pottery Barn was king and sofas were just getting bigger and bigger. It baffled me! The past few years have seen a trend of declining scale and a proliferation of affordable, modern furniture for those of us who rebel against putting down roots in a McMansion.

West Elm just came out with their new mini Parsons desks. I love the lacquered finish in black or white. Now I find myself asking, how small can they go?

Man on Wire

Tyler and I went to the Embarcadero Theaters to see Man on Wire this past weekend. It is a documentary about Philippe Petit, the French man who rigged a high wire between the top of the World Trade Center towers and walked across several times. And no he wasn't wearing a harness, a rope or any other safety mechanism. It was fascinating and made me sick to my stomach all at once.

Movie Snacks

My new favorite movie snack is Sahale Valdosta pecans which are mixed with black pepper, sweet dried cranberries and orange zest. You can get them at the Embarcadero Theaters, speciality grocers like Whole Food and Molly Stones or on-line. They have other blends that I would like to try like the Daphine walnuts with blueberries, bananas, coconut flakes, lavender and white pepper. Note: The Sing Buri blend with Cashews wasn't may favorite.

My McMansion

The Margarido House is my dream home. Click on the link to see the photo gallery.

Domino Loves

The new Domino is packed with tear sheets. Here are a few highlights:

Dressing Table from Ikea with Icicle Stool



Binders by Sugar Paper



Modern Globe from DWR




I especially loved the feature about books you love to display as well as read.

Melville House Publishing "Novella" Collection
Minimalist short story/novel hybrids.



Persephone Books "Originals" series
Plain grey jackets and cream labels they all look the same from the outside. On the inside, endpapers are chosen especially to match the date and mood of the book.



Penguin "Great Ideas" series
Slim, compact historic texts with letterpress fronts.



Overlook Press P.G. Wodehouse collection
English farce and social satire with illustrated dust jackets.



Harper Perennial "Olive Editions"
Contemporary books such as Everything is Illuminated and The Unbearable Lightness of Being in bright colors with striped backs.

Music Festivals

I really, really, really want to go to one of these....





Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in Golden Gate Park complete with performances by Radiohead, Beck, Jack Johnson, the Black Keys and Cake with a farmers market to boot.

Treasure Island Music Festival with a bunch of bands I'm not familiar with but look like they can really rock, a Ferris wheel, and a legitimate reason to make the trek to Treasure Island.

Now I just need Interpol to come back to SF or go on tour anywhere in the U.S. for that matter.

Worth It

Conventional beauty wisdom says that mascara is one of the products you can go drug store on. I've tried so hard, but just can't seem to make it work. I always spend the first few weeks of a new tube with thick clumpy lashes and the weeks that follow with dried out flakes and dark circles under my eyes.

Enter Dior Show. It only takes one quick swipe to get long lush lashes with even distribution and no flakiness. Considering that most women site mascara as the one product they cannot live without, I think the few extra dollars are worth it.