A WARM FUZZY STORY

According to a story I just read on the Daily News.com, a man in FL claiming to have a gun on him, took the last TMX Elmo doll (this year's fuzzy 10th year anniversary Elmo) from another shopper who had originally picked it up. The victim claims the armed bandit told him about the gun and said he'd have no problems shooting him (the victim) if he didn't hand over the Elmo.

I'm not going to bother commenting on the hilarious absurdity of this story because the Daily News article is even funnier than the crime itself. It appears as if the Daily News (located in NYC) sent a reporter over to the Times Square Toys R Us for people's reactions to this story. While the two quoted shoppers in the article agree that Elmo isn't worth getting shot over, apparently one shopper feels it is worth getting stabbed - "If the guy had a gun, I'd give him the Elmo," "If he just had a knife ... I don't know."

Now that's comedy!

YOU KNOW MANHATTAN APARTMENTS

Yesterday I was having lunch with a friend of mine who is a massage therapist and in addition to having her own practice in Chelsea, also works for a super exclusive and ridiculously expensive spa. Occasionally she visits clients of the spa at home for sessions and told me about one such client, who lives three blocks from the spa, in a Park Avenue apartment that occupies the entire floor of the building. The apartment is so large with so many hallways that my massage therapist friend has gotten lost just trying to find the guest room in which she sets up her massage table. Apparently my friend visits this person so regularly that she asked why the apartment owner doesn't just get a massage table of her own. The woman replied, Where would I store it? You know Manhattan apartments."

DANCING WITH THE CORPSES

On of the most enjoyable aspects of a DVR (TiVo or other brand) is not having to sit through annoying commercials. Unfortunately, there are times when you still get stuck watching a commercial. Like if you are watching live TV, can't find the remote to fast forward or are so hungover that you don't have the strength to press the fast forward button. I recently found myself in one of these situations (I'll let you guess what my predicament was) and was forced to watch a horrible crapmercial. I'm referring to the latest Gap commercial that features footage of Audrey Hepburn dancing. I think the Gap should be ashamed of itself. For a clothing company that considers itself stylish, to use a dead celebrity to peddle its pants is truly tasteless. Audrey Hepburn probably never stepped one foot into a Gap and now, through no choice of her own, she is forced to act as the store's spokesperson. I guess she can rest somewhat easy in the knowledge that she isn't dancing with a vacuum cleaner.
Audrey Hepburn, 1929 - 1993 Rest In Peace.

Design On A Nickle: The Reveal!

The challange: With a budget of $500 and two days, we turned a plain, uninspired room into a crisp and sophisticatd yet relaxing living space. We think we did a great job. See for yourself here with the before and after shots.

BEFORE
AFTER

BEFORE
AFTER

BEFORE
AFTER

BEFORE
AFTER


A FEW MORE AFTER SHOTS
A new reading corner
Crisp yet comfy

Room Redo Day 2.

We finsihed Jenny B's room makeover today and have to say it looks great. Now I only hope Jen agrees when she gets home tomorrow. Check back tomorrow for pictures and Jen's response.

A Job Well Done

After a full day of work we hit the closest bar.

A Taste of Things to Come

Day 1 of our room makeover is complete. These pictures are just a sampling of some of the pieces we have added to Jenny B's home.

What lies beneath.

Jenny B warned me that she didn't clean her apartment before leaving town. I'm not so sure if she has ever cleaned her apartment.

Design On A Nickle

Jenny B, hired me to work some magic on her apartment's living room, which is what I'll be doing tomorrow. About a month ago, during a drunken Saturday evening, we hatched a plan that resulted in her handing me an expenses check, which I've been shopping with all this time. JB is out of town this weekend so tomorrow I'm taking all the stuff I've bought for her place (I love shopping with someone elses money) and turning her room into a showplace! Stay tuned for pictures during the day.

One Sassy Brit And An Expatriate Returning To America

That's right! Our favorite mixed couple (she's English and he, American) are moving back to NYC! The Sassy Brit, AKA Sacred Cow and ExPat AKA Cheese Pants are planning on moving back and settling once again in Brooklyn early next year. Stay tuned for more details.

UPDATE!

I'm flying to CA this weekend for my brother's wedding and guess what Airline I'm on? AMERICAN! Great! I'm probably flagged in their system after that salty email I fired off to them last night. I'm thinking of printing a T-shirt for my flight. Any suggestions?

American Airlines Hates

My boyfriend and I were hanging out with another couple tonight when they told us about this American Airlines story - apparently an AA flight attendant woke up a sleeping gay man to tell him to stop being so affectionate with his mate. My first thought was my friend got his facts wrong and was horribly retelling a story. So when my boyfriend and I got home we looked it up. Stories in a multitude of publications, including The New Yorker, tell the story as one man was sleeping with his head on the shoulder of his mate (boyfriend, spouse, partner, whatever) when a flight attendant woke him up and told the couple they had to stop the inappropriate behavior. Apparently other travelers felt there was no inappropriate behavior happening. So it sounds like American Airlines hired a stewardess who hates fags and so far the airline stands behind this person. As an American who flies once every two months, I will write to American Airline expressing my disgust and more importantly will never fly their airlines again. I hope all Americans as disgusted by this story as I was will research it on their own and then take action that lets AA know they can not get away with this prejudice.

United For Peace & Justice March

This morning on my way to work, I passed the people gathering for the United For Peace & Justice March. I was surprised to see that the group, marching to protest the war in Iraq, seemed to be comprised mostly of older people and not many young. A lot of the protestors appeared to be old enough to have marched and protested during the Vietnam War. While I think its great to see so many older Americans taking a stand, I was slightly disappointed at the lack of college-aged people present. I was fortunate to attend school during the relatively peaceful (at least for the US) years of the early 80’s but even at that time made a trip to Washington DC in 1992 to join the pro-choice March for Woman’s Lives. Looking at this mornings crowd I had to wonder, what will happen to peaceful protest when all of the original hippies are gone?