What is it about The Strokes that is just exactly fallish?

image from Deanna Staffo's flickr. i love her style--it's unique and the perfect combination of whimsy and realism. makes me realize yet again that i need to practice my art more.

Ha! This would be Steph and I (on the right) seriously contemplating the paintings around the hem of this guy's jacket as he struts along the runway at Couture Fashion Week NY 2010.

Let's be honest. It was kinda ugly.

From Revenge Magazine's flickr stream.

BIG NEWS, GUYS:

Toast has a men's collection.

amateur (noun) a person who practices something for the love of it.

here are some clothes we have made for men.

we've wanted to do this for a long time.

we've been asked to do it very often.

we've taken our time to get them right.

we've used really good fabrics.

we've done things properly.

we've approached it like meticulous amateurs - and have thoroughly enjoyed doing it.

I wonder, if I ask them a often and for a long time,

if they will make it a bit easier for US citizens to purchase....

This is not a food blog, but on Monday I finally had the chance to dine at Balthazar, New York's most beloved bistro and I must tell you about it:

Balthazar was inspirational.

And since you're dying of curiosity, here's what I ordered:

A glass of Sancerre, light and citrusy Sauvignon Blanc to start the evening with a sparkle. One famous Balthazar salad, complete in its truffle-infused glory. A plate of flaky grilled branzini, sitting atop sweet onions and arugula, and a warm apple tarte tatin matched with a shot of espresso.*

Anyway, I felt inspired tonight when I got home from the gym, and whipped up an experimental salad. The results were especially delicious--crunchy, a bit sweet with a bite of spicy mustard, and a nutty follow-through.

Molly's standard vinaigrette.
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 chopped red pear
1/2 chopped avocado
1 T toasted pine nuts
1 T toasted sesame seeds
Parmigiano Reggiano

*That I managed to put away so much food between glances over Steph's shoulder at Brooke Shields and family sitting just behind us is rather admirable, don't you think?

Bikes in the living room.

Kinda looks like my place.

I have been having this reoccurring dream over the past week.

Basically, I'm driving from Newton to Arkansas (and if you do not know that I hate this drive, you do not know me very well). Typically I am being chased by a tornado or two. (Naturally.) And when I get to Tulsa, there is a mandatory stop. I must exit my car (after placing it onto an enormous conveyor belt), check in with the authorities, and complete an obstacle course where I navigate a crowded mall, crawl through a series of tiny corridors, and then leap through a hole in the wall to meet my car at the end of the conveyor.

I think the road construction is getting to me.

It's a rainy fall evening, at long last. Time to cozy up with Cat and a bit of knitting.

photo from an old Vogue, found somewhere in my google reader. love it.

Every great pastry chef has her moment of complete failure, and tonight is mine.

Three perfect pans of Smitten Kitchen's Big Crumb Coffeecake in the oven, filled with plump red cherries which I picked AND pitted myself this summer,
sans baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Ruined.

What to do now? My coworkers must have a deliciously homeade breakfast tomorrow morning and I must do my part!

screw it. i'm taking it anyway.