Baxter Bark Twice

Do as I say, never as I do

Posts Tagged ‘Friday’

See and (not) be seen

Posted by AllieB on September 6, 2013

Fashion Week is kind of not my scene. I like to read about it and see pictures in magazines while ensconced in the comfort of my couch; I can do without the overheated, overcrowded tents…in fact I have something of  phobia when it comes to enclosed tents – they catch on fire really easily and then people start panicking and stampeding – it’s a recipe for disaster.

However, given an opportunity to attend during the work day for free is a no-brainer. I went this morning with co-workers to the BCBG Spring 2014 show at Lincoln Center. What’s so overwhelming is the whole blogger (psssh – freakin bloggers) craze and the street style photographers. It’s a whole business now, and I feel like anyone in an open-toed bootie, sporting some sort of domepiece accessory, or carrying a kitschy clutch can be stalked for their picture. Eyepatches, also, will get you some airtime. Oddly,  no one seemed interested in capturing my street style of J.Crew Minnie’s and tank.

Here’s my takeaway: if you are at all hungover under the weather and have even the slightest ambivalence towards crowds, zero personal space, excessive perfume, jarring noises and flashing lights, Fashion Week is not for you. I’d rather go to IKEA in that state than Fashion Week, which, I think, says all you need to know.

One obvious bonus: the celeb spotting.

fashion week collage

The ULTIMATE sighting: Olivia Palermo (never said I had good seats), Heidi Klum (yes that’s her), the crowd awaits

I realize you might not believe that’s Olivia and Heidi, so here is my proof. Giuliana Rancic and Selita Ebanks (??) and Estelle and Jesse Metcalfe were also there. They were much more clear in person…iPhone’s do not zoom well. Olivia is everything I hoped she would be – almost too pretty to look at with a very definite “I am so SO much better than all of you” attitude. And she kept her sunglasses on the whole time. Of course she did. Heidi, quite literally, glows.

The celeb spotting has actually been kind of ridiculous lately: I saw Dustin Hoffman at Whole Foods on Saturday. He and his wife were doing regular old grocery shopping. He was trailing behind her, pulling the buggy, while she asked him questions over her shoulder. He must have responded negatively because she whipped around and goes, “well did you at LEAST get the PARSLEY!?” He didn’t answer but turned and headed off towards the greens. I saw them again when they got in line behind me – I don’t think Dustin recognized me because I was wearing a hat – but I nevertheless felt embarrassed about my items: Newman’s Lemonade (1 gal), mac n cheese, chicken wings (5, sweet chili from the hot bar). Allie…no.

Then, the next day, as I explored my new ‘hood, I walked by Jennifer Connelly and her whole fam. She is stunning. I really like her – she might be in my top 5. You know how I feel about Blood Diamond…and who could forget Career Opportunities?!

Speaking of my new ‘hood….I LOVE it. My quality of life has soared to heights heretofore unseen. Who needs the charm of an old brownstone walk-up when you can live in a high rise with a doorman?? I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to live without a doorman again…unless, maybe, I own the whole building. I can’t stop taking pictures. Do you wanna see some?? Ok. No filters – seriously.

majestic, ain't she

majestic, ain’t she

skyline as seen from Pier 26 (the one I live on)

skyline as seen from Pier 26 (that’s where I live)

sunset over Pier 26

sunset

sunrise

sunrise

I won’t bore you with stories about my move, but you better believe it did not go off without a hitch/multiple hitches.

Praying for a Bulldog W…have a great weekend!

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HAPPY FEET

Posted by AllieB on May 17, 2013

Now that I’m staying put for awhile, I am really excited to participate in all that is NYC in the spring/summer/whatever season it is (do we still have seasons?) for it is glorious. It’s as though we’re all emerging from our seemingly decade-long winter cocoons, and reacquainting ourselves with the sun, other people, and being outside instead of inside. This city is just really beautiful, honestly, and, since this is my first spring up here, I am literally seeing the light for the first time.

bryant park

 There aren’t not filters, but still! It’s just so pretty. This is Bryant Park in Midtown, I work a block east so I spend some time here…and that is the New York Library, the famous one, where I also spend some time…

I do plan to do other things besides hang out in a park and library near my office – FOR INSTANCE on Saturday we are going to Brooklyn and hanging out in beer gardens, and then on Sunday I am going out to Westchester for a garden party – a catered one. That’s legit diversity right there. I shall bring my hipster self to BK and my WASP-y self to the ‘burbs. I’ve heretofore never met Hipster Allie, so that will be interesting…WASP-y Allie is around a lot – she’s the one not confronting things and maintaining the appearance of normalcy.

Celebs used to  be a common point of discussion on BBT, but lately – not so much. Given my lack of other things to talk about, let’s see what’s going on….

Kim K is the worst pregnant person ever, and I already really don’t like her – she’s so boring she’s not even fun to point and laugh at. Like, wear different shoes. So simple. When presented with a choice between ones that cut off your circulation betwixt cankle and foot and ones that don’t, ALWAYS GO WITH THE ONES THAT DON’T. I think she thought that the nude strap and clear thingy over her insole would elongate the leg. No. (Credit: Hilary. She also gets credit for the title – she’s not completely worthless afterall)

0515-kim-kardashian-julianne-moore-3

David Beckham is retiring…from soccer. OH yeah, he played soccer. Perhaps this will free him up to do some more…picture taking. Like this, maybe.

david beckham

I am seriously blushing right now.

And now for a celebrity that I actually know personally and consider an actual friend – next Thursday I’m going to the Stones Fest at Bowery Ballroom to see my buddy Parker Gispert, lead singer of The Whigs, play. Rock on.

Stones Fest FB banner

If you live in the area or will be around, join me,  won’t you? Other performers include Norah Jones, Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, Jason Isbell and many, many more, including some SURPRISE guests (says the site).

That’ll do for today. TGIF, y’all!

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Today is Picture Day!

Posted by AllieB on April 26, 2013

Happy Friday!! Instead of writing words, I posted pictures. There are ten photos, and then a bonus one so eleven total. Bon appétit!

1. This is where I am sitting right now.

photo 1

2. Meanwhile, someone in our Santa Monica office is sitting here #oh #neat

This is the view from a desk in our Santa Monica office #oh #neat

3. JTommLiv got an iPhone…

JTommLiv got an iPhone

4. Saturday’s sunset from Marion’s rooftop. I will never, ever tire of this view #IheartNY

Saturday's sunset from Marion's rooftop. I will never tire of the NYC skyline #vista

 5. I finally went to the Spotted Pig. Fleming and I shared this (and some pink wine) – it was everything I hoped it would be

photo 4

6. This is the block where I live. It’s like the set of my very own romantic comedy except not (yet)

photo 2

7. I’m going to AFRICA!!!! G Force and I are booking our tickets to Malawi this weekend. It is part goodwill, part adventure, and I am so excited. I did some goog’ing and learned that Malawi is far away. It will be winter when we’re there (July), so that’s a perk – for a second I was like, why am I going to Africa in July, but then I remembered the different hemisphere/opposite season thing. Der. The flight is 16+ hours…I’m gonna need to pack my eye mask for sure, or, as a co-worker helpfully suggested re: my unfortunate sleeping habits, “just put a bag over my head.”

20123

8. Before going to Africa I will turn 30. El and I went for a walk on the Westside Highway last night and I scouted out some potential spots for my big bday bash…I just love a good vista #nofilter #evenJerseylooksgood

photo 4

9. I guess it’s good thing we went for that walk…sometimes I revolt against the goals I set for myself. It’s very productive.

MYEQ Dashboard - Google Chrome 4262013 71628 AM.bmp

10. This might be a little weird because I have no idea who this person is (I got it off Buzzfeed) BUT I WANT TO BE HER #pileofpuppies #puppiesinapile

PILE of PUPPIES

Bonus #11. Let’s open up the vault: real life Picture Days of yore. 3rd Grade was pretty good, if I do say so myself. 4th Grade – not so much. I was at the height of my Marla Hooch phase…and it will come as no surprise that I no longer wanted to be called Allie, but Alex #identitycrisis #goBraves #firstpickforkickball

picstitch

Well that was fun. Pictures = easier than words. Have an AWESOME weekend!!! XOXOXO

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Top 10

Posted by AllieB on July 13, 2012

When Lucy Chastain, owner of Xanadu Fine Art, a boutique art consulting firm, asked me to do a list of My Favorite Things for her company blog, I said, “sure!” And here it is. If you’re a devoted BBT reader, none of this will be brand new information…but for the sake of having two posts this week instead of one: happy reading.

1. Beverage: a summer time Shandy (credit; Carol Harrell). I like this southern (read: red-neck) spin on the English cocktail: light beer and frozen limeade. The alcohol content is very low, and it’s so refreshing – a perfect daytime, poolside beverage:

4 light beers to every can of frozen limeade. (I like Bud Light and Minute Maid Limeade).

Pour beer into a bowl, add limeade, mix. Voila.

Don’t let an aversion to watery light beer keep you from trying this tasty treat, but if you’re not convinced, I also love Moscow Mules (Esquire’s recipe).

 

2. Beauty: Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo. The best of the best in this ever-growing market…everything else is just a knock-off.

3. Monthly Read: Vanity Fair. I love this magazine – it’s like the perfect hybrid of The Atlantic and People.

4. Trend: Neon. I’m not big on color, but I’ve come around on this…in small doses. Props to El and Caro for embracing neon so enthusiastically: respect.

Essie: off the shoulder

5. Dining: I love everything that has become the Westside in Atlanta – particularly the shopping (Free People, Anthropologie, Jonathan Adler) and the dining (JCT, Abattoir, Taqueria), but right now my favorite spot is The Optimist Fish Camp & Oyster Bar. It’s the newest venture from owners of JCT and No. 246 and is a great spot for cocktails, food, socializing…and maybe a few more cocktails. I actually wrote up a little review and posted it on Yelp – for reals, check it out. 

Photo from Atlanta Dish

6. Exercise: Flywheel/Flybarre. It’s as great as everyone says.

7. Travel: Australia. I studied abroad here in college and I look forward to going back someday. The Whitsunday Islands in between Sydney and The Great Barrier Reef are home to the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, Whitehaven Beach in particular. In fact, it was recently named The Cleanest Beach in the World as well the Top Eco-Friendly Beach…so it’s got that going for it, which is nice.

The cool thing is that this is not a picture from Goog, but from my point and click disposable – it had like negative pixels and you can still tell how incredible this place is.

8. Easy Appetizer: Manchego cheese with honey. I fully intend to start cooking more one of these days, but til then I make-do with easy dishes that require zero preparation. This is a sure thing with pretty much any crowd – just be sure you have enough cheese.

To serve: One large piece of Manchego (I asked the guy at Whole Foods for a milder variety – there are several) on a platter with a bowl of honey for dipping/drizzling.

I suggest a cheese board and serving dishes from Scout for the Home.

 

9. Shop: Zara. I’ve never met a white blouse I didn’t like, and Zara always has several different styles at great  prices.

And it’s on sale! They’re having a huge sale right now, you should probably check it out. This actually pretty much sums up my uniform: jeans + white blouse.

10. Best Kept Secret: Full Cup Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re not even that bad for you – there’s no refined sugar or processed flour, but you’d never know it to taste one. I’m kind of a cookie snob, especially when it comes to chocolate chip, and I usually only like the homemade ones, but these are definitely an exception to the rule.

Honorable Mentions: pizza, Pour la Victoire pumps, Ryan Lochte, Game of Thrones, Lights by Ellie Goulding

This might be the most boring list I’ve ever read/written. That’s too bad, considering it’s about me…

Happy Weekend!!

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Mediocre at Best

Posted by AllieB on January 6, 2012

I’m not really one for late night talk shows, but the other night I watched The Best of Conan – that wasn’t what it was called, but that’s what it was – and it was hilarious. I even made notes in my archaic smartphone device about the particularly funny segments so I could share on BBT. The first is a commercial for the world’s most expensive toilet. I guess you don’t technically need sound, but I just watched without it and it was much less funny…retract: you do need sound.

The other note I made to myself was “Newt owes Tiffany money” and I have no idea what I was talking about, so I guess that’s it.

Yesterday was a fun day on BBT. I think I’ll do more flow charts in the future – I’ve just barely dipped my toe in the wonder that is Power Point, and I think I like it.

The Duchess Catherine of York – Princess Kate – turns 30 on Monday!! It was this time last year that my obsession fondness for her was just heating up…I wish she could get married every year. According to NYMag, her birthday party is going to be 80’s themed!! I’m a bit confused as to why that long-torsoed Pippa left me off the guest list…wtf, Pippa? I really took the whole Kate thing to a new level on BBT…it even has its own category…looking back, I’m thinking that the “single white female” comments were not so much jokes as expressions of concern. If you’d like to take a trip down memory lane, I suggest “Hair Emergency” – not only do I discuss the gloriousness of Kate’s (and my own) hair, but I also rain some truth on J Simps and Taylor Swizzle. Good times.

I think I need to expand my horizons….but not today. Happy weekend!!! Keep it classy like Liz Lemon.

 

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