For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. 

Vincent Van Gogh

image:

by flickr member Jes

via visualize.us

Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.

image via ffffound

blogger is cutting it off,

but it's glorious in entirety,

so check it out.

You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

Eleanor Roosevelt

image credit:

Bordons

via visualize.us

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

ee cummings

photo via visualize.us

Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon, everything's different.

Bill Watterson

image credit:

Chris Craymer

Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things." 

"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

illustration via visualize.us

When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on or you will learn to fly.

Barabara J. Winter

photo via this is glamorous

If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.

Ivan Turgenev

image credit:

Julia Dumnova 

via visualize.us

the disappearing act.

So, I have a confession to make...

I've been feeling a bit lackluster when it comes to blogging.

It's a funny thing when you start out and no one's reading your rambling thoughts.

And then people are reading them and it's rewarding in ways you never dared imagine. 

And yet you feel this new pressure to live up to the best of your blog. Live up to the best of your blog? Oh man, what am I talking about, I've lost it.

My point is I need a wee little break. And in that wee little break I'll see my mom and move and my bike will arrive and there will be so much to tell you. 

So like cjane before me, I too will disappear for a jiff. To recharge. Rethink. 

I will have prescheduled posts with quotes and pictures that tickle my fancy.

And thus begins my disappearing act,

till we meet again (and I come back in about a week and a half with some new ideas and fresh words)...

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Buddha

photo credit:

Casa de Sarment

via visualize.us

in the middle of packing up my room and organizing my life, i bring you this snippet:

i have so much to tell you. and so little time.

this week i'm working my little toosh off (because i need the money). next week my mama comes for a visit. then i move. (oh, haven't i told you? not to worry, i'll still be in manhattan, but after five years on the upper west side it's time for a change. so washington heights...here i come). and then...i'm off to australia. time is flying.

so until i have more time, how's this?

1. i bought a bike. a folding bike. (the bike plan is two fold. 1: exercise; 2: avoid public transport which i so often loathe)

2. i bought a bupmit. twelve dollars at claire's. it's gonna revolutionize my hair. and thus my life.

3. and only now (entering my sixth year of manhattan living) have i discovered fort tryon park (home to the cloisters). and i can safely say, after only a few minutes there, it is hands down the most beautiful place in all of manhattan. views of the hudson river valley right here in our own backyard. i'll do a proper post on it, but for now i'll leave you with this...

image via google search.

see image in full glory, here.

the perfect body initiative. day eleven.

why is your body perfect?

I have a perfect body because my back supports all parts of me... even my hopes and dreams.

Michal

Describing Details of Absolutely No Importance

i must apologize. i have fallen behind. (as well as off the bandwagon). and as i try to climb back on i have taken such comfort in the responses you all have given. so thank you, thank you, thank you. all of you. thank you for reminding me each and every day of just how "perfect" we all are. 

an open letter. to the bandwagon.

dear bandwagon,

i'm sure that falling off you must be very important in the recovery process. so that one can figure out how to get back on. quickly. 

this knowledge doesn't make the attempt to get back on any easier.

that's what the past five days have been about. trying to get back on.

last night i bought myself two large cupcakes from crumbs. and vanilla ice cream. i allowed myself to enjoy it. all of it. (okay, okay, so i felt sick after the first cupcake and only got a bit into the second one before throwing it away all together--damn, there goes $3.75). 

and then i went to town. and began to clean my room.

i should know by now that my mental health is directly tied to just how clean my room is. and to how well my nails are manicured.

i swiffered. and bawked at the amount of dust on the floor. 

i found a hidden pile of clothes that had missed going to the launderer by mere minutes. damn, again. 

i cleaned out my google account. too many unanswered, unopened emails. 

and attempted to respond to some comments. note for anyone reading this: i am the worst. the worst at responding to comments or accepting awards. this does not mean that i don't love them with every ounce of love i have to give. i do. i love them all. i live off of them. i drink them in like the lemon-line flavored bubble water that i have grown to love. wait. hold it. actually, i love them like the lemon-lime seltzer water and the occasional diet coke that now tastes like sweet nectar of the gods. 

and this morning i woke as early as i could. 8:30 to be exact.

pulled back my curtain and drunk in the cool summer breeze.

pulled out the coffee i bought yesterday. westside market french roast. to replace the folgers that just wasn't cutting it. whole beans, i bought, yesterday. not ground. oooohhhhh. okay. breathe in. breathe out. folgers it is.

no worries. 

and then i cleaned my mac keyboard. my grimy fingers do a number on those poor keys. 

and can i tell you something? now, as regina spektor plays on the stereo and the cool breeze infiltrates this once-boiling apartment, i know that today will be better. a clean (well, clean-er) room will do this to me. and i will pull down a good book from the shelf today--and the book will help. enormously. 

i'm off to make myself two eggs with cheddar cheese. protein please. 

and then off to work where i'll spend much of my morning cleaning up the mess of someone else. and as i scrub the tables i'll list (in my head) all those things that i'm good at. i may be disposable (at my current job) but i'm very good at a very many things. 

and if by some strange twist i later run into the boy that i have a crush on. and he is something less than friendly (despite, my attempts at kindness) i will console myself by remembering that it's his thing, not mine. 

those eggs are calling. i'll see you soon--because, bandwagon, it's only been a few days, but i've missed you.

meg, meg, meg

things to do in nyc: check craigslist for missed connections

so, okay, actually...you can do this from anywhere. but log onto craigslist and under the personal section click on missed connections. 

i'm sure this exists in other cities as well, but it feels like such a part of new york lore. missed connections is a place where people post chance encounters hoping for a second chance--in some ways it's like a postsecret regarding like/infatuation/love with the hope of a response.

And inspired by the fleeting connections between total strangers artist Sophie Blackall is creating beautiful works of art...

what do you think? would you ever post a love note to a complete stranger?

images via this amazing website.

oh to look like someone else. just for a day.

dear husband-to-be,

i'm afraid this will be a very serious letter. you see, i need you to understand something.

my looks belie who i really am. 

does that make sense?

i look like i would love to spend an evening at the opera. i would not.

i look like i might really like a swanky jazz bar. mmm...not really my thing. if you could find an off-the-beaten-path beatnik pub with some jazz on the side...that i could do.

i prefer a ball game to almost anything else.

i will always order a cheesburger. and i'm a cheap drunk. 

i laugh. a lot. out loud. at the most inappropriate of times. 

and when we go to the beach, you'll have to drag me out of the water at the end of the day. i will not be the one working on my tan. 

i look like i could be a politican's wife. and i could be. i could play that part really well.

but that is not the part i want to play. 

i am not perfect. i am a screw-up in the most glorious of ways. 

you see, i want to have a ping-pong table in the dining room. 

and i'll still climb a tree. or hurtle down a hill on a sled. 

i'm not the girl you think i am, when you first glance at me.

it's strangely frustrating.

but i refuse to change who i am to conform to what i look like. 

and if on that first glance, i come off as cold, it's simply because i'm shy and quiet and totally, madly in love with you. already. 

so please don't be intimidated by some idea of me. i'm flighty and i lose everything. and i'm funny. really, i am. at least, i think i am, and that's something, right?

and i still have this old-fashioned belief that the guy should make the first move.

so please, do. make the first move. 

you might just be surprised by what you find.

love, love, love,

the woman who is not the woman you first assumed i was (but it's okay, even my friends still make silly assumptions, and they've known me for a while)

diana! (first attempt).

1. Empire State Building. as seen from 33rd street. 

2. DUMBO, Brooklyn

3. Riverside Park

4. Riverside Park

5. Central Park

5. DUMBO, Brooklyn

6. American Museum of Natural History

7. Broadway. my friend Alex.

8. Upper West Side 

9. Upper West Side. between Amsterdam and Central Park West.

the film was so reasonably priced that when 

they handed me the processing bill for 

three rolls of film (37.39), 

I almost lost my lunch. 

i'm gonna have to get another 

job just to support this habit. 

oh brother.

the perfect body initiative. day ten.

Why is your body perfect?

I love my eyelashes cause they are long and flirty and i'll bat them to get my way:0)

Also my skinny feet since they allowed me to do ballet for 10 years and look really pretty with some pink polish!

Rachel

Rachel's Pink Thoughts

about the beach...

....i went to the beach yesterday.

jones beach.

it was beautiful.

but the wind was a-blowin'.

and the waves were a-churnin'.

and the ocean and me had a knock-down, drag-out fight.

but i am a pacifist.

this is to say..

it was the ocean who knocked me down and dragged me out.

dragged me out good. 

so today, two days, after-the-fact...

i am still finding the most miniscule of sea shells plastered all over my body...

in the most unmentionable of places.

ahhhh...

i love the beach.

what to do in nyc: guide books

thanks to your prodding (asking about things to do here in the city) i'm newly exploring and adventuring and (dare i say it)... falling in love with new york city. 

these are the books i'm using in my travels. 1. because they suggest inexpensive things 2. they're easy to read (not too overwhelming)

what to do in nyc: jones beach

again, yes, technically jones beach is just out of the city. but for new yorkers who need a quick-day-escape this is a fantastic (and very inexpensive option).

to get there: from Penn Station take the Long Island Rail Road from Babylon to Freeport (a round trip ticket is 15 dollars). from Freeport get on the MTA bus headed to Jones Beach. the bus is the cost of a subway ride and if you have your unlimited metro-card (which i'm sure you've figured out by now that you should) then it's no added cost. all together it takes about 1. 5 hours to get there from when you leave Penn Station (shorter if you don't have wait to long for the bus).

to do there: soak up the rays, bob in the waves, and get a big ol' scoop of some Friendly's ice cream (mint chocolate chip for me, please). 

the beach is really quite beautiful and while (like Coney Island) it feels a bit past it's prime and makes you long for the simplicity of years gone by, it is nonetheless a welcome-adventure. 

an easy day trip, i might not suggest this for visitors to the city, but rather for the hardened resident looking for an escape. 

plus, it's a perfect excuse to pull out that wide-brimmed hat you've had tucked in the back of your closet for two years. 

and don't forget your spf (70 for me please). uva/uvb. i may not be the tannest of them all. but i'll laugh when at 40 i have barely a wrinkle on my face. and more importantly, skin cancer can be prevented...so, why wouldn't you arm yourself against it?

the perfect body initiative. day nine.

Why is your body perfect?

Every time I look at my belly and see a layer of fat...still...I think of my little baby that I had 6 months ago...and then I love it! I placed him for adoption and miss him like crazy, but my tummy reminds me of the miracle that he is! Such a miracle! Also- my hands- HUGE- but so capable!

Lucy

...and love it!

i just have to say that lucy's story is so unbelievably

inspiring. you must read this.

what to do in nyc: dumbo

okay, okay, so technically it's in brooklyn. well...i guess some of it's in manhattan too, but the dumbo i'm gonna talk about is across the bridge in the borough that is quickly becoming (well, actually, has been for a while) the place to be. 

dumbo stands for? down under the manhattan bridge overpass

to get there: from the 42nd street station take the A train (it's an express train--meaning it won't stop at every stop, but will get you there faster) to High Street. exit and orient yourself towards a large green park, walk through the park, veering to the left,  passing under a stone overpass and just head towards the water. eventually you'll run into brooklyn bridge park (an ideal picnic location) and home to many fun things in the summer--including, free movie showings on thursday nights.

or: get off the A at Chambers (home to city hall) and walk across the bridge. the views are amazing (though said to be more dramatic if you walk from brooklyn to manhattan). 

things to do:

1. Grimaldi's: uber-famous pizza parlor that you'll have to wait in line outside just to get into. i personally think the pizza is a wee-bit overrated, but it's an experience for sure, i've done it before (twice) and i'm sure i'll do it again.

2. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory: across the street from Grimaldi's the two go hand-in-hand. chances are you'll have to wait in line again, but it's refreshing and lovely to sit out on fulton-landing and take in the view. 

3. Five Front: it was here that my friend erica had her first date with a boy named chris. this past february they tied the knot and brought it full circle by celebrating at this delightfully charming restaurant. the food is good, the decor is homey and welcoming and it's a perfect place for a date, for sure. in fact, just talking about it now makes me want to go back. soon, very soon. 

the big appeal for me? cobble-stone streets and to-die-for views

right now i'm really into cheap things to do. and what's better than a picnic? i bought myself a 3 dollar piece of spinach pizza and a bottle of perrier and plopped down on the lawn to soak in the views. my friend carolyn came along . we listened to regina's new album as it played through carolyn's overturned headphones (albeit, very softly). and diana even came along for the ride. the only thing missing was our friend taza. she needs to come back to nyc for a visit soon. very, very soon. but i digress. 

that verizon building is a blight on the skyline. but what can you do?

we indulged in sweet treats from the ice cream factory. carolyn's familiar looking right? yup, you know her from taza's blog. told you so. and yes, she really is that beautiful. we did in fact all go to college together. 

"ice cream is the new health food": i need this sign for my kitchen. period. 

all in all it was a really fun, refreshing, and quite cheap outing. the cost of a subway ride (you gotta get the unlimited) and maybe, like 10 dollars in food. not bad. not bat at all. 

DUMBO previw

Carolyn (of taza-blog fame {you'll recognize her when you see her}) and I headed to DUMBO (neighborhood in Brooklyn) last night to enjoy the area, food, and bring you more ideas of things to do here in the city.

We had such a blast. I will post more later. But for now... I'm of to the beach.

So enjoy the sneak-peak-preview:

what to do in nyc: seek out a classic "only in the city" moment

many times street performers are more of a bother than anything else. 

but then, every once-in-a-while, you come across someone or something that takes your breath away and you think... i wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now, because this is perfect.

yesterday, waiting for the e train  at 53rd and lexington, i heard opera that gave me chills in the best possible way. and i don't even like opera.

and it was one of those, only in new york moments which can be found just often enough if you keep your eyes open. 

ps: when he finished, the entire station erupted in applause. yup, me too. it was that good.

the perfect body initiative. day eight.

Why is your body perfect?

My Big Brown eyes to see all the beauty and goodness around me each and every day.. 

Life is good.

Fashionably Kate

CommuniKate by TeleGraham

Life is good indeed!

the kennedy photo.

i was looking through old photos tonight, trying to decide if i should update the header of the blog--just for a bit of a change (because change can be good) and i was struck by this photo of my parents.

my mom was beautiful. always. of course.

but in this photo i was taken by how handsome my father was. he still is. of course. but here, he looks so darn confident and sure of himself. 

i hereby dub this my father's kennedy photo.

kennedy photo? i know, confusing.

let me explain.

i took a picture of my cousin this year and it came out so well, we decided it was his kennedy photo, thereby coining the term. meaning: in the photo one looks handsome, all-american, and full of promise (and a lot like a would-be-politician). if you've looked at enough photos of bobby and john then you know just what i'm talking about. the point is...having your own kennedy photo is a very good thing. 

i look at this photo and i think, of course my parents fell in love. and i'm lucky enough to know the aftermath of "happily ever after" and let me go on record as saying, yes, it's good. it's very, very wonderful.

mom. dad. i love you both so much. thanks for being exactly who you are. (and for passing on some pretty okay genes).

the perfect body initiative. day seven.

I love my body- especially right now- as it changes and grows to accomodate the baby inside.. it is such a unique feeling and one I feel so blessed to experience!

Jess

The Rowes

i finally figured out how to steal

pictures off of your blogs for this

project. if you don't want your

picture or your comment posted

here, please, please let me know.

how gorgeous is Jess? and this is after a workout. enough said. 

and congratulations on the soon-to-be addition to the family!

a pg-13 post? perhaps. tmi? maybe. readers beware.

sometimes…

when the air is cool and fresh i indulge in a late night cab ride. i open the window just a wee bit more than ever so slightly and allow the wind to knock through my hair as the taxi careens down the street at unheard of speeds. and as the cab weaves in and out, this way and that, i fall back against the cool leather completely confident that the driver knows exactly what he’s doing and that there is no safer way to get from one place to another in new york. and with the feel of the wind and the leather pressing in on me, I close my eyes and pray to God above that this is what really fantastic sex feels like: exhilarating and terrifying all at once—but never, not for one moment, fearful.

ps: i didn't write this today. or yesterday. or even last week. 

i'm not going to tell you when i wrote. it.

what to do in nyc: riverside park

one of my absolute favorite parks in all of manhattan is riverside park. it stretches from 72nd to 125th street along the hudson river. 

new york is a very difficult place to live. so, i am always searching for places that take me out of "typical" city life, even if just for a moment. riverside park is one of those places. the pictures below really don't to it justice.

my best suggestion is to wake up early one morning and spend a good hour-plus enjoying the quiet, beauty, and waterfront views. if you still hope to get exercise in while on vacation, this is an excellent place to go. because it runs parallel to the hudson it is very difficult to get lost, whereas central park can be a bit of a maze for first-time visitors. 

and also...if you rent a bike while you're here (which many people seem to do, but which i have yet to try) this would be the place to go. 

ps: during spring and summer one can rent a kayak (no charge) at the southern tip of the park. but only on weekends and assuming the weather holds up.

pps: the second collage down--that's the garden where meg ryan met tom hanks at the end of you've got mail. but don't try to walk around in it (as they did), that's not allowed.

the pictures really just can't convey the size of its beauty. i think this is a must-experience for visitors. 

and a great picnic location!