Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels….Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles…Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, These are a few of my favorite things!
By far my favorite season of the year, fall in
I’m a bit of a book nerd, pouring over some in as little as three days. I’ve read Memoirs of a Geisha at least a dozen times and though my original copy is falling apart and tattered, I would never part from it. I refuse to buy a Nook, Kindle or other E-Reader, preferring to don my reading glasses, sip a glass of red wine and flip worn pages of used books. I prefer non-fiction but am not opposed to a trash novel or even a book or two in the Twilight series as a guilty pleasure of sorts.
Current Reads: The Kennedy Women, Elizabeth, The Meaning of Everything: The Making of the
Recent Reads: The
On the Shelf Future Reads: Caro’s 3 Volume Series on FDR on the recommendation of a friend and Founding Mothers.
I’m a self-proclaimed National Geographic addict. It is one of the first places I visit in the morning and one of the rare television channels that can keep my attention for 48 hours straight. No, I don’t have a strange affinity for sharks, tribal “Taboo” customs or the process by which nuclear bombs are made. I do, however, have an addiction to learn those things which I know absolutely nothing about. The shows geared towards cultures particularly tug at my heartstrings, but not much that I have urges to spread capitalism like the plague. In contrast, I prefer to watch as the dynamic contrast between the most simplistic lifestyles and their very complex cultures collide in brilliant LCD wonder.
I have a strange (but not weird) addiction to candles. Foregoing the popular, sunny, sugary, fruity and flowery scents, on any given night during any given season, my apartment is filled with smells of warmth and thought. Yankee Candles’ Autumn Lodge, Balsam & Cedar, Autumn Leaves and Fire Side are a few of my standards, though I’ve recently discovered a splendid (and affordable) scent called Winter, by Slatkin & Co.. Yes, I use it in year-round.
Ask any of my girlfriends and they’ll each tell you that I’m notorious for taking bubble baths, an exercised that has, on rare occasions been witnessed whilst under the influence of one too many Bloody Mary’s. My apartment was built in the 20′s and the marble subway tiles are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The back of the tub tilts back at a low angle, obvious craftsmanship of someone who enjoyed reading in the bathtub as much as I do. And yes, I've obviously spend considerable time figuring this out.
My favorite magazines include Architectural Digest, WQ, and Vanity Fair, followed shortly thereafter by Southern Living because, as my grandmother always said, “If Southern Living prints a recipe, you know it’s going to be good!”
Speaking of food: I love to cook, my specialty being a pretty sexy roasted chicken. I don’t try anything new or glamorous to spice it up or make it more appealing. It’s sinfully delicious just as it is so I figure, ‘Why mess up a good thing?’ I’ve [nearly] mastered the art of Spannekopeta (Greek spinach & feta dish), have had two successful Risotto attempts under my belt and am working on perfecting my mothers’ home-made caramel icing that is a labor of love and a workout for the arms.
I like to run, though I’m not especially good at it. It’s more of a stress reliever than anything but hey, it’s the effort that counts, right? My IPOD would be a schizphrenics dream-come-true as it holds everything from The White Stripes, old school Snoop, Italian Opera, classic oldies and let’s not forget Ke$ha.
Well, if these favorite things don’t give you at least some idea as to the type of person I am, then frankly, I’m at a loss for words. As is true with anyone, there is much more to all of us, lying just beneath the surface. But for now, there it is.
