The Princess & the Pea

Princess and the Pea - Etsy

...when i see mattress ads in the sunday paper (and on tv and stores on every other corner), i always make a mental reminder to ask my european and spanish friends if people in their countries are as obsessed with mattresses and sleep as americans are....then i forget because i'm usually in bed half asleep or driving (not even remotely sleepy). i would think not...especially considering the hotel beds in europe are so thin and lumpy. the best bed i've ever slept on outside the US was at the me by meila in cancun. their pillow tops were like sleeping on my own little cloud nine.

i used to have a sub-par mattress before i moved. i think i was the victim of a bait and switch because what was delivered did not seem to be what i ordered. the company also claimed to have a lifetime guarantee. i had a reminder on my calendar to check on this a year later and they were out of business. hahaha, some warranty. i put featherbeds and foam on top of it to cushion the blow to my back, but nothing ever worked for long. as soon as my body would mold to the additive, i swear i could feel those springs again.

also, i am not cheap, but mattresses are CRAZY expensive. i know you spend quite a bit of your life sleeping, but does a mattress really need to cost $4000? not in my house...well, unless it's gifted and then please do not make it memory foam - it makes my back ache.

i love my pillow top/plush whatever you wanna call it. i think it's the bees knees. but i wonder...are there any tempurpedic or memory foamaniacs amongst you?

besitos,

Here Comes the Rain Again

..falling on my head like a memory. falling on my head like a new emotion.

don't you love the eurythmics (and impromptu lunch trips to the beach)? exhibits to support the yes follow...and oh yes, there will be polaroids. in addition to the soothing shots of the ocean and horizon, i've developed a little tiny bit of a polaroid obsession:

i saw the tiniest baby birds

and a group of onlookers who were camped out for the day

kayakers headed out to sea

gangs of walkers strolling the shore

and the best model ever

i still find it amazingly odd that my perception of the color of the sea is never what the camera captures. today, i saw quite a bit more emerald. what i see on the screen is turquoise. photographing these are my valium. now, if only this little obsession would release the kinks in my neck (caz mami needs a massage...well another one caz the one i had last week did not do the trick). ciao for now,

Off the Rack

...it's funny how others think you spend your money. it appears quite a few think i'm a shopaholic, which i am certainly not. well, at least not in my opinion. i used to have a problem...even when i was younger and struggling, i would buy a new outfit every week to wear out on friday nights (even when i had to ration gas money and eat ramen, soup or popcorn for dinner til payday)...and me and my little wolfpack of girlfriends would go out almost every weekend - rain or shine (but i was always in a new outfit).

flash forward to getting cut off (by my uncle and grandparents), job troubles (despite the long hours, they never paid enough), boyfriend drama (there tends to be some level of control exercised when someone else pays the bills), and finally independence (curbing the urge to buy when i had so much already).

i learned my lesson. i tend to buy what i love and keep it forever - including alterations should there be a little something i want to tweak or maybe if a few pounds tweaked me. i still have a black coach bag that i bought in the mid 90's, which at the time cost about a half week's pay....and bcbg dresses from the years of my addiction to that brand from 1999-2001. they look like they're brand new. some are because i never wore them. others i wore once and tucked away for a special occasion (date, wedding, fabulous party) that never happened. now, i tend to wear what i want when i want. i won't wait for an event or occasion (hence the heels while doing the dishes, sequin pants to an art exhibit opening).

my point (before i forget it)? i am already sick of the high-low hemline. i have a dress from about 3 years ago that i love (and wore maybe twice) with this silhouette, but i refuse to wear it now....though i may buy a black skirt with a high-low hem and pull it out of my closet in a few years when i won't see it on everyone else. by then, it will be a vintage look. and i don't think vintage means 25 years or older in the fashion world. most people think it means last season.

BCBG Hi Lo Maxi Skirt

Pleione Chiffon Hi Lo Skirt

que sera sera. what ever will be will be...this chica will still wear whatever she pleases (and perhaps post an outfit or two one day)...it won't be sweats though i do work out monday thru friday so sweats are my work uniform. and no, ana...i am NOT buying any sexy workout clothes (she says my workout gear is ugly). i will NEVER be that girl in the gym wearing a tube top (i did not pull that one out of a hat. if you worked out at my old gym during lunch time, you've probably been shocked/awed/disgusted by it, too. mean? a little. true? completely....even the guys she was trying to impress laughed (then stared and waited for her to expose her freshly enhanced body parts by accident). what do you call nipple gate in the gym?

besitos,

Pure Unadulterated Loveliness

...this is what ads are meant to do. make you stop, stare, gasp, desire and imagine you are there with the wind (not a fan) blowing gently enough to make you float like a butterfly but not so hard that you drift away without purpose. yums, right?

besitos,

The Subconscious Mind

...ever woke up thinking about something and wondered if it was a dream or if the thing in question was just really on your mind. well, i woke up last night thinking about this:

hans wegner papa bear chair

oh yes, it had me at hola...even after a night of anguish (possible food poisoning from a thai restaurant or my own expired eggs, which i frittata'ed for brunch), the chair was still the first thing on my mind this morning...well, other than why is it so hot in here. my bedroom and i are still at odds. she says she needs a fan. i say she would look better with a chandelier. we need mediation.

soooo, back to my point. one of the bloggers i normally read wrote an article recently about mid-century chair designers and this one was included - in addition to the swan chair that i equally hearted and got for my office. it would be perfect if i could put that bad boy on casters caz it's way too short to use as my desk chair. the only downside to this convo with myself is that i didn't save the link so now i can't attribute the find to her (chica, if you're reading, please let me know so i can show you some link love).

anywho, isn't she lovely? i think stevie wonder was talking about her when he wrote and sang that song. oh yes, and there's another downside. originals of this antique vision of swedish mid-century modern loveliness will set you back about $15k+. however, replicas start at around $800. sadly, none are in white. so, today i am asking the universe for a very generous benefactor to send me an angel that i can sit in. do you hear me, universe? can you get it to me within the next 2 weeks? and also, please have him or her recover the chair in a white linen blend fabric before delivering it. thank you (and besitos),

I See Dead People

...not as in zombies.ghosts, i get, but i don't get the whole attraction to zombies. they have to be the most annoying and easy to avoid (and kill) of all monsters. i mean, first of all they're slow. you can outrun them unless you're wearing heels. and if you're in a zombie-avoiding state of mind, you should don the proper footwear unless you want to become a zombie yourself. and what's the deal with them anyway? do they only eat brains or do they eat the whole person? are they true carnivores or do they prefer the delicacy of brain-food (i.e. food for thought)? also, if said zombies have not consumed any brains, how long can they live? well, not actually live...more like survive on being undead and sans brain-food?

anywho, i spied myself (and my friend, bernardo ortiz) in a recent pic from the recent rita ackerman exhibit at MOCA:

photo via www.mocanomi.org

see us in the blurry bits on the right? my fro is like a little round halo....and i blew my hair out that night, but it rained. and rain + my hair = a 2 inch do...not the big hair i love and strive for when i step into the night.

anywho, bernie and i we were both caught NOT taking pictures, which is a rarity. he is more conceptual. i love his work and cannot wait until he tells me what he will do next. he took a ton of pics of my pants (some of me but most of the pants themselves).

me? i'm pondering a polaroid project. you can't tell from the pic, but you can see the spectra tucked on my left side (that's the polaroid nook). you can also see the kate spade farah recital bag, which everyone loves and wants to touch and pet like an added dog to my entourage. hahaha, it's one of my favorites, too. 

i texted bernie before the exhibit about the pants. i've had them since before new years and have been dying to wear them (which i also included in the text). he didn't even hesitate. WEAR THEM! was the message. and wear them i did.  but, the thing no one ever says aloud about sequins is that they are for the winter and cold climates. the lining and heaviness of the fabric made mami a little sweaty (and i hate to sweat even though i work out and do hot yoga). it was like extra cardio without having to plug in my treadmill or go to the gym. too bad the pic didn't capture their sparkle. they received plenty of compliments that night.

this (the heat and humidity), i think, is also why people complain so much when they come to miami. they're expecting what they see on tv - still shots of the beach and nightlife, but what the photographers and videographers and editors leave out is that most everything else is shot either on a set somewhere nice and cool or outside miami...where it ain't so hot. how do you think they golden girls got to wear sequins year round and never sweat....or crocket and tubbs wear jackets with no armpit stains? enter reality, my dears.  it is not for the faint hearted or non-wearers of rose colored glasses.

this chica is off..not my rocker, mind you. bocci & matisse were at the groomers today and she found a tick on my little one. i am now COMPLETELY paranoid and fumigating, washing bedding (theirs and mine) and freaking out.

ciao for now,

Doing the Dishes

i hate cleaning....even though i used to be a neat freak. you know, one of those people you love to hate - who has a dog but a white sofa (that remains spotless even though the dog is allowed on the sofa). years ago, i gave up my neat freak ways after i had a lil shindig @ my place and almost gave one of my friends a heart attack. the only rule in my house was don't drink red wine on my sofa, which she did after assuring me many times that she was fine. but, of course she wasn't. otherwise, there would be no story to tell.

anyway, after she spilled her wine on my rather pristine sofa and i gave her the stink eye, she tried to scrub it away for the rest of the night. it was so sad. she even left to go to the walgreens down the street to see if anything would lift the stain. but, as you non-leather white furniture owners know...only a very good dry cleaner can do anything with red wine stains. and then sometimes, it's just a write-off. as in sayonara white sofa.

anywho, no yoga for me tonight....though my neck is in some type of serious traction. it's already bony enough. i don't need any veins or blood vessels popping out of it to make it appear even more extra terrestrial. why no yoga? boring conference calls drove me to a glass or 2 of pinot grigio. the motto for today was "it's 5 o'clock somewhere."

back to my point...my kitchen is a mess. it's time to bring in the cleaning lady again and lil ole cheapo me wants to do it myself (til i see the full impact of the mess i've made...or til i reach the bathrooms). my plan is to have a lil fun (and pinot grigio) so at least my kitchen will be clean and i can prepare my tart of the week. and no, i'm not talking about tarting myself up...though i've thought about doing just that for my current crush. i really must keep my mind off him, but i will think about how much he would like these shoes...when i put them on to do the dishes.

...or maybe these...depends on whether i'm feeling a little seductive or bohemian (the chunky ones are definitely boho...those things could injure my small animals in one mis-step):

sexy, party of one (well, maybe two). ciao for now,

Happiness is an Unmade Bed

...with a fresh stack of my monthlies all ready to be perused, ripped and scanned. from the time i was very young and forced to make my bed daily, i always told everyone within earshot that i would never make my bed once i grew up. that's a promise i kept. i only make it when i change the sheets...and i love it. though with this film and all white bedding, you can't even tell the bed's not made - it looks a little haphazard at best...like i just didn't straighten the pillows. but, take my word for it. it is au naturale.

today is day 2 of "operation no little doggies in my bed." matisse is fine. he's been kicked out successfully before over the years (after weeks of whining, he just goes to his bed and waits to see if i want any doggie company), but little bocci has always had her morning spooning session (unless i'm on vacation). she is suffering and whining the most. last night, i heard the pitter patter of her four tiny feet circling my bed waiting for me to tell her to come on up. and believe me all six pounds of her on hardwood floors at all hours of the morning is LOUD. hahaha, but i never gave in.  i am determined to prevail this time.

not that i don't love cuddling with them, but mami needs some space...and some sleep. i am having some very serious sleep issues...um, like mostly not sleeping at all with the exception of my prime anti-insomnia time frame (7am-10am). somehow during those hours, nothing disturbs me. i can sleep soundly with no problems. what makes this not an option for me is that i have a day job/career/means of bringing home the bacon and i should be up by 8am or so to walk & feed my entourage of animals by 8:30'ish and on the treadmill for some XTRA cardio before i start work at 9am (smelly, sweaty and happy...with a freshly made latte in hand). so far, this is not happening as planned. looks like i need a live-in honey bunny to keep me on track...or at least to have said honey bunny stay over temporarily to assist in resetting my body clock (like a baby, but with no bottle). i know who i'd like it to be...hahahaha! i find him just ever so yummy and amazing...my crush du jour.

oh well, dream on...besitos,

ps - i am not loving the pz680 color shade film. the results are so inconsistent (except for the bright swatch of blue the pic turns). the next couple rolls will be soft tone (i think it's expired, but i've had good results with other rolls of expired film)...and speaking of rolls (not my personal one. i mean rolls of film...polaroid film comes in a box. does anyone refer to it as a box of film or do most people refer to any type of film as a roll. nothing serious...just wondering out loud and typing on the internet.

pps - the blue in the photo faded and it developed nicely after about an hour (well, that's when i looked at it again. let's hope it didn't take that long to configure itself and settle into loveliness:

see the difference? yums, right?

The Risk or the Reward

...the risk with expired polaroid film is sometimes all you get is a few smears and an image you can't quite make out. the reward? well, you know the reward. anywho, a few tests follow:

i met a little surfer girl (who is also a photographer....and self confessed slave to film) at the beach today. unfortunately, the expired color film i used did not like the beach (nor did the silver film...though it seems to do fine for night interior shots). perhaps it's the bright lights. they are like gremlins who shun the sunlight for fear of...well, not multiplying. i wish the film would multiply. that would be a treat.

anywho, this shoot was a bust...well, as far as the final product (not the experience).

camera: polaroid spectra
film:  polaroid classic image and pz600 silver shade

ciao for now,

ArtGasm 03.15.2012

...polaroids now, words later (maybe):

who: lots of fabulous folks
what: rita ackerman exhibit - opening night
where: MOCA Miami
when: 3/15/2012

bonnie clearwater

random handsome dude (who was oh so serious until i spoke with him)

does she not look like carine rothfield?

one of the photographers (we took pix of each other taking pix...it was an epic moment)

handsome devils (but not devilish)

dan milewski (nina's hubby)...
hahaha, i want to call him the MF w/the hat, but he's a very nice guy (though i LUV the name of that play)

artist/photographer (remember him from wynwood art walk a few months ago?)

MOCA staff & budding artist (also a very mature 18 year old)

clara poupel (artist) & her novio, pierre (how do you say boyfriend in french?)

loving dad & sleeping baby

camera: polaroid spectra (circa 2002)
film: the impossible project (pz600 color shade & pz680 silver shade)

i'm exhausted and i still have to do cardio before 7pm. ciao for now,

Lounging & Pondering

...my treadmill is is not dead. thanks to the ever so fabulous renato, who referred me to the company who maintains the equipment in his studio, it is ALIVE. creaky, but alive. i've been back at it...mostly walking hills. i can't do sprints any more - too many injuries.  oh yes, i'm a klutz. when i lived in atlanta, i fell in a gopher hole and twisted my ankle. why was i walking across a field big enough to have gopher holes? just a long doggie walk on a very nice atlanta day.

it seems simple - like an injury that would only disable a person for a week or 2. but i drove on it daily (but mami does NOT have a chauffeur and matisse doesn't have a driver's license) and walked on it (many times a day every day sans crutches caz i was and still am uncoordinated to walk on crutches). soooo, my recovery was not speedy. i've also had torn ACL's in both knees. i refuse to get surgery. i know several people who've had knee surgery and they still have chronic knee problems. i'm going to save my surgery points for a later date to fix some old lady issues. hahaha, probably not. i hate taking medicine or vitamins or any type of pills so it's doubtful i'll get any type of elective surgery. i don't mind going to the doctor, but if i'm ever prescribed anything, i google and web md it to death so i am aware of all its evils before i take it. and even then, i'd want to know how long the commitment was before i started.

anywho, back to my point. as far as training with renato goes, in a month of twice a week sessions, i've lost a half inch from my waist and an inch from my hips (and no, you cannot see any pics of my flabby. i'm very protective of it. i want to wrap it in sequins, but still protect it from public view).

yipppeee! though i wish those inches were both from what i refer to as my middle management, i am happy to have lost anything at all (my hormonal issues make it tough for me to lose any weight at all). i'm especially happy none of said inch and a half came from my cleavage. the girls are mine. they're here to stay.

now, really...back to my point. my goal with the treadmill was to add extra cardio in the morning, but for the past few days, i've just used it instead of going to the gym and jumping on the elliptical. which means that none of my cardio is extra.

this is why i needed a drill sergeant. i don't think i'm lazy (except when it comes to cleaning...or doing the laundry), but i am rather inclined to lounge....like this little bunny, who was watching me til he fell asleep (with his eyes open, which freaks the crap outta me):

oh well, time to crank it up. i've decided to be as competitive about getting my body where i'd like it to be (as i am about other things). i'm only interested in losing about 10 pounds, but if i got rid of my skinny fat and not so skinny fat, i wouldn't care about the scale weight at all. at the moment, i'm going to lounge (and write) and ponder over a glass of wine. ciao for now,

The Weekend in Pictures

...in 5, 4, 3,2, 1 (not pix, but seconds):

i was in atlanta for the weekend to help trish the dish usher herself into a new decade....no more dirty thirties.

we went to brunch in west midtown (which did not exist when i lived in atlanta) and i was soooo happy i didn't have to pull out my glasses to view this menu.

trish went in for a mani-pedi and i saw this lovely and furry lady waiting for her mommy:

the weather was so nice, everyone wanted to enjoy a little al fresco dining:

i wanted to huddle close to this fireplace, but my florida thinned blood drove me indoors to seek relief from the wind and cold:

but i spotted a few opportunities to window shop on my way:

i fell in love with a few things:

we had to dash over to mac for trish's make-up consultation (i asked her to look sad and pathetic for her before shot):

we spied this giant five story hand on our way to dinner at la fourchette (oui oui):

we were so nosey and curious that we returned the next day to investigate:

 ingrid is the mistress of organizing events:

malinda is the queen of getting the male's perspective on events:

della, the dj whisperer, texted all of our requests:

this guy told us how his anger management issues led hi to an early retirement (and a vacation with his wife later this week to punta cana):

 ingrid and the object (and giver) of her affection:

another b'day girl, who's headed to punta cana this week with her formerly angry husband...and a very happy couple who ruled the dance floor during the soul train line:

 more well wishers...they are all neighbors and met at their condo years ago:

i ran into a sequin sister, who also loved glam and shimmer:

our amazing waiter, who quizzed me on what i liked (fruit, sweet, sour, etc) and concocted a fabulous martini for me (and i don't even like martinis):

 before and after more spills on this dangerous ottoman....someone please tell mood to add some tables to their VIP areas:

more smiles with andre, who told us all about his single days and the ladies he drove to crazy town/stalker-ville:

before we made everyone get up and dance:

shake it!!!!

and repeat:

on my way home (back to loving arms and paws)...billowy, pillowy clouds winked at me:

i miss atlanta, but i still heart florida. besitos,