I take great inspiration from this tree, growing through this chainlink fence. It’s not just poking through, it is growing through assertively and with strength. It looks so bizarre, like somebody stuck the branch there, but it is actually growing through.

I have been looking for a bag that is big enough to carry my daily neccesities; and something that could stand up to a little more inclement weather (e.g. that wasn’t suede.) I was thinking I should get a grown-up leather purse, something neutral that goes with everything and doesn’t really look like a bag, but rather a large purse. But I saw this Toki Doki (the great Italian designer Simone Legno who teamed up with Le Sport Sac) bag and I just threw all those grown-up plans out the window. I have loved Toki Doki since I first discovered Legno’s art. I cannot deny my love of fun prints, so guess I’m not growing up or becoming ultra-sophisticated anytime soon! Maybe I’m rebelling against all the sophistication I see here. But you know what, this bag makes me so happy! It’s so cute and so funny and just, well, great! It’s nylon, so it will deal with wetter weather, and it sortof transforms from smaller bag to biggish bag. It has some of the parameters for what I have been looking for. I woke up today, and it was the first thing I saw, and it made me really, really happy. No buyers remorse over here!

Two weekends ago Rose and took the free shuttle bus from Port Authority and headed over to Ikea in New Jersey! It was an adventure so we could finally say, we got outta town during the weekend! Anyhow, I picked up some frames for my little prints I got from Renegade and also some pillows. Ikea’s textiles are really cool! I am just hoping that my room does not start looking like a kids room, with all the bright prints, stuffed animals, etc. But when you start over, as I did when I moved to NYC, it’s interesting to see how your tastes change when you start re-furnishing your life. I will one day photograph the other side of my room, but please realize that this entails actually putting away my huge pile of clothes, as well as cleaning off my desk. I would not think of subjecting you to the messy side, because then you would say “hey one half is a kids room and the other half is a teenager’s room!” Our apartment is nice. Farah painted the apartment a really nice selection of earthy colors, and has decorated it with an ecclectic selection of african and other art from her travels. I would say she gets the whole modern with handmade touch, aesthetic. The place feels warm compared to your standard apartment with white walls. Someday I will photograph the rest of the place and you can see for yourself.

Accompanying this photo from the gardens of the Victoria and Albert museum in London, is a synopsis from a free numerology report that I got online. In a nut shell, let’s just say that I’m glad that if all else fails in my professional life, it’s reassuring to know that I can just be a professional enjoyer of life and a fine conversationalist. What? Not everyone is born with the special gift of the ability to experience great delight in the pleasures of life? What happened to those people who don’t just naturally see and feel and experience the pleasures of life? Hmmm. I thought we all were born with it, but that some of us are just more responsible and spend more time focusing on how to make things happen (like by being disciplined and thinking in a linear fashion… e.g. I want this to happen so I will do that.)

So this part of the (long) report seems to efficiently articulate why I like having this website; a dedicated place to express my delights (and sometimes cynisism) in the adventures of life! Don’t worry, it wasn’t all roses! The report also eluded to one of my downfalls, my tendency to be involved in too many different activities and to be a bit scattered and unfocused. Yeah, I have made it a goal to try to be more action and less talk. I am trying to be more productive, which sounds rather responsible and dare I say… disciplined… yuck! I said I’m trying. I didn’t say I would do it! Hah! Anyways, read it…

“You were born with a special gift, the potential to experience great delight in the pleasures of life. You sometimes affirm this delight with exhilarating enthusiasm, sometimes savor it with intense but quiet pleasure. You may choose a line of work in which both your social and creative skills can be developed. You have a lively imagination along with your considerable creative ability. You may spend a great deal of your time enjoying your creative pursuits. You probably express yourself well verbally and it wouldn’t be surprising if you involve yourself in activities related to your voice or to words. You may have some singing or acting talent, or you may enjoy writing or lecturing. Since you instinctively know the best way to present material and information, you could be a natural at teaching or selling. You would probably also be a fine conversationalist.”

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Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

So great to find another Santa Barbara friend moving to NYC to partake in the flourishing footwear industry! Phil! You will be here soon! Melinda started the migration, followed by Rose, and Jennifer, and then me, then Grace and… who next! Yeah! Gosh I look Scandanavian in this photo! Seriously! My shirt should not say “trust me i’m from jersey” but it should say “trust me my ancestors are from Scandanavia!” They are also Native American, Irish, German.
Anyhow, seems as if us footwear folks are are all suckers for migrating out here for work, but Phil’s from here, so he’s no sucker, just coming home I guess! He said I have to stay here in NYC a few years to call myself a true new yorker. I don’t know if I will really do that or not! It’s been 11 months, and I still have my California drivers license.

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Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

It’s my website and I can be vain if I want to!I get my horoscope every single day, emailed to me, but it’s usually the day after that I get it. But today’s horoscope is too amazing not to publish. And I love that I’m a few days from a new moon, and every CANCER knows that they are deeply afftected by any moon activity; e.g. full moon or new moon. Anyways. Here’s what it said: “Not everyone gets you right now, but that’s fine — after all, you know that you have your own special style that can’t be duplicated. Just go your own way for now. Sooner or later your public will come around.” I will be finding my peoples soon! Yay!

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Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

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Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

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Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

Several weeks ago Jenni had her 30th birthday party at the Roxy. Rollerskating and dancing and drinking and birthday cake. You walk into the legendary Roxy and are immediately taken back to the 1970’s, not that I would know personally, but trust me it’s just like the movies! It’s amazing to see all the cool funky styles, amidst the red laser lights, set against loud, great funky dance music, watching the old skool rollerskater’s dancing and skating around. It’s pretty amazing. And funny to rollerskate up to the bar and order a drink! Anything on rollerskates is more fun. I forgot how much strain they put on your ankles. They are so heavy! Last week my YSL friends met up at the Roxy for Pilar’s birthday. Again, I was just blown away by this time capsule! There are some amazing, hardcore rollerskater’s (most of them must be in their 40’s and 50’s) just doing their thing, inspiring the rest of us to stop holding onto the wall. If I could recommend a must see and do, truly NYC site and sound on a Wednesday night, it’s the Roxy! It’s worth the $18 cover, $5 skate rental, and $3 coat check! The place is cool, but mostly, it’s about the people, which I am sure, you could never assemble in another city anywhere in the world. Fun!! If you click on this photo you will be taken to photos from both of the Roxy experiences I had.