Happy Birthday Ivy!

 

Please join the Dabbler in wishing Ivy a very happy birthday. Woo hoo! Par-tay!


Maybe if Ivy's companion takes her to a fashionable joint to celebrate, we'll hear all about the New York social scene in her next report, adding a new dimension to the always interesting 7th Avenue-centric snippets.

And maybe if the Dabbler's companion were as thoughtful as Ivy's, she, too, would have woken up to a breakfast of bagels, cream cheese and caviar instead of a self-poured bowl of Cheerios. Well, there's always next year (or Valentine's Day - hint, hint, spouse of Dabbler).

The Ivy Pinkerton Files

 

Anatomy of a Sale

Winter sales can be as dreary as week-old New York snow: only the dingy dregs are left, with makeup stains, pulled threads, and tired trends.

But there is one sale I always look forward to, the Barneys New York winter sale. Barneys gives odd designers a chance, and consequently, their sales are rife with strange and mysterious items others won’t dare to wear. At the very least, it is fun to figure out how to put them on properly.

Here is my recap:

A gorgeous dark blue velvet dress by Zero, Maria Cornejo had luscious, thick, tangled straps. Unfortunately, it pancaked my breasts and looked more goth-tranny than elegant.

A mini dress by Imitation was made of crushed, bright red velvet. It seemed so spunky on the rack, but looked more like a poorly made ice skating uniform on.

An Eley Kishimoto mini dress looked interesting, made of sheer gray, gathered silk with an inexplicable, gigantic, crushed dark gray velvet waist band. But when on, it, too, conjured up nightmarish images of the rink.

My favorite on the rack was a dark gray/blue dress overlaid with netting and ribbon by Mist, from Antwerp, – a ballgown concocted by a creative madman. But it pinched in the ribcage, was too big in the hips, and too hard to alter. [pictured left]

A tiny flower print Mark Jacobs dress made me yawn just looking at it on the rack. I only considered because, well, it was Marc Jacobs. Putting it on almost caused a narcoleptic attack.


A Paul and Joe sea foam green silk dress on the rack looked like granny’s nighty from 1970 but when on, it transformed into a refreshing, wonderfully tailored, flattering, bell-sleeved, waist-enhancing winner, and a total steal at $109 (from $426). [pictured left]

Along the way I picked up some more conventional items, and all in all, it was a most excellent trip. And I didn’t even get to the shoes!

And introducing DJ Dabble...

 

Those of you who weren't lucky enough to be an acquaintance of the Dabbler circa 1991 probably have no idea that her past includes a stint as a party DJ. Her moniker in that era embarrassingly included the word "jazzy", with a sidekick whose nickname contained "fresh" somewhere in it. I also ambivalently admit that I called the enterprise PMS, short for "Post-Modern Spinsters" (my partner and I were both single at the time -- not to mention, a little bitchy at least once a month). Yes, we were that creative. I even put it on my resume.

I am proud to introduce you to a reincarnated/reinvigorated disc jockey, and though I am no longer Jazzy, I return to you in the form of DJ Dabble. My inspiration to return to vinyl (or bits and bytes as the digital age would have it) comes from recently hearing, on NPR, a new version of U2's 'One', which first appeared on Achtung Baby in 1991, at the height of PMS's domination of the booming Williamstown party circuit. The 'One' do-over is a not quite a cover, but rather a duet frontlined by Mary J. Blige, and including Bono's enthusiastic participation. It is quite an inspired, if a tad cheesy, anthem. And it is, quite possibly, even better than the real thing...

So, what follows is the first DJ Dabble Mix. To find and download the songs, go to iTunes and type "DJ Dabble Mix" into the search box within the iMix section (Apple provides no easy way for me to send you a link directly from here; please let me know if you have any problems navigating).* Please note, the song order on this blog is the order in which the Dabbler has deemed the songs be played; the iTunes music store re-orders, and also excludes what it has termed 'illegitimate pop material' as well as songs to which Apple has not yet secured licenses, from the playlist.

Download, listen, and let me know what you think!

DJ Dabble Mix #1: The Return of the Dabbler
(Song title/Artist)
1. One/Mary J. Blige and Bono
2. Bomb the World (Armageddon Version)/Michael Franti and Spearhead
3. Your Cover's Blown/Belle & Sebastian
4. Feel Good Inc./Gorillaz
5. Endlessly/Muse
6. Thong's Lullaby/DJ Crook Air mashup of Sisqo and The Cure
7. Going, Going, Gone/Stars
8. Cosy in the Rocket/Psapp
9. Breathe/Telepopmusik
10. Mad World/Tears for Fears
11. Bonnie and Clyde/Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot
12. Bobcaygeon/The Tragically Hip
13. Hurt/Johnny Cash
14. Ain't No Half-Steppin'/Big Daddy Kane

*Addendum: it appears there may be a link to the iMix, but you probably need iTunes installed on your computer. Try this: DJ Dabble's Mix

Breaking News: Shelves Completed!

 

Olive, who is taking a much deserved rest (see right), asked me to post the following pictures of the nifty shelves she has been working so hard to help me complete.

After a week of sanding and varnishing, we finally took some time to install the plywood boards in the alcove, successfully giving them a built-in feel. I held the boards steady while Olive worked the electric screwdriver and barked orders at me.

You'll also see a photograph of a speaker that we also installed, part of a state of the art (the art being finding the cheapest one possible) surround sound system.

Broken Resolution #1 (or so)

 

I succumbed and bought wine yesterday. Four bottles. One of my unposted New Year's resolutions was a wine-buying moratorium, but with the new fridge empty I just couldn't resist. I lasted 23 days on the wagon. Maybe I can last 23 more. In the meantime, consider yourselves the beneficiaries: coming soon, a new 'Wine of the Week' column...

The Garage Project: 2006 Edition

 

So this most recent long absence from blogging would indicate that I haven't kept some of my New Year's resolutions. However, the truth is that a testy computer made it impossible to post anything. The Dabbler may have a few bones to pick with Apple at some point soon (or complaints regarding technology in general), but for now she will focus attention on a subject I know you are all anxious to hear about: the garage project!

In the spirit of getting things done quickly, this will be a photojournalistic entry. Hence, the photos which follow...










front view













side view













door knob detail










back wall of main office space (paint is not nearly so flourescent in person; it is Benjamin Moore 'Hibiscus')













closet detail













bamboo floors













bathroom (tile got screwed up and will need to be redone, but you get the idea; no other fixtures have been installed as of yet)













storage space with yuppie wine fridge










detail of shelving in storage space










pile of wood for semi-built-in shelving for office. I decided to finish the lumber myself to save some money (I forgot about the cliche 'time is money' when I made that decision)













detail of wood that gives you an idea of how the final product will appear (though imagine 6 shelves, 8 feet long, filled with books...)













stuff piled on couch/bed from PB Teen; the back of the sofa with all the stuff on it folds up to couch position, and down (as shown) to make a full size bed. sort of Ligne Roset-esque at 1/8th the price

The Return of the Dabbler

 

Holiday hiatus is over, and the Dabbler is back. Right now, she's dabbling in some New Year's resolutions, including but not limited to the following:

1. Spend less money on things I don't need (exceptions include garage project supplies and deeply discounted items, which means I have yet to break this resolution). I'm sure this one won't last.

2. Dine in more frequently, eat healthier, and prepare more interesting meals. For this one, I have decided that sometimes it actually pays to shop at the more expensive grocery stores. The key to this is a staggered marketing schedule that allows one to stock up on cereal, staples and paper goods at the more cost effective places (using coupons where possible, of course), but to buy fish, meat and other gourmet sundries at the fancy shmancy establishments.

When it comes time to make supper, voila! The fridge is opened and in front of you, you will find more desirable options available rather than the same old turkey burger patties from Trader Joe's. I have done cost-conscious marketing in the past, only to get so sick of what's in the ice box by mid-week, that we eat out by Thursday, making the frugality of shopping at such places pointless. This week, after a run to Bristol Farms (where a 14 oz. box of Corn Flakes costs $5.39), I made a stuffed chicken, whitefish with lemon and capers, and turkey meatloaf to name a few. We have not eaten out, and it is Friday!

3. Exercise more. Okay, so this is about the least original resolution one could have. With my gym membership about to run out, however, I have to figure out exactly how to tackle this. I am not sure it is worth my while to renew my membership, yet I can not get myself to run on anything but a treadmill. I wish I could say that walking the dog counted as physical exertion but unfortunately I'm pretty sure it doesn't.

4. Walk the dog more. This is for the benefit of the dog, since I have already noted that such activity doesn't count as exercise for me.

5. Be a better person. Okay, another common, generic and vague resolution. Cliche as it is, though, it's clearly worth trying, right? I am on my way -- on Sunday I continue my volunteer work with 826LA, helping to run an event on comic book authoring for underprivileged kids. And I will continue the tutoring I started before the holidays on Tuesday afternoons, for the same organization. I think that these good deeds earn me enough good-person-points that I can happily read Defamer, In Touch and Us without feeling guilt.

6. Read more (other than Defamer, In Touch and Us). I am off to a bad start on this one. I did read a fascinating article in the New Yorker, on the author of Mary Poppins, during the flight back from Boston to Los Angeles. But that was on December 26th. So far, this year, I have only read the newspaper (do Sodoku and the Food section count as reading?) and Daily Variety. Oops.

7. Write more. Especially on this blog. December was really dicey, wasn't it? I know you've missed me and I promise to be more dedicated at blogging and other forms of writing.

8. Be more efficient at everything. Self-explanatory.

9. Get organized and stay organized. I have definitely not begun to tackle this one yet. If you could see my office you'd know what I mean.

10. Be less of a hypochondriac. Last year at various points I was sure I had a brain tumor (I was sent in for a CT-scan so I had some cause for concern, I guess), fibromyalgia, mononucleosis, and various other diseases. The only thing I actually ever got was a minor head cold and a quick bout of acid-reflux (that I had first assumed was a broken rib). This year I am going to stop looking up symptoms on WebMD and calling my primary care physician (the hypochondriac's verison of drunken dialing).

11. Make more money. Now, this is not the capitalist in me vowing to become a mogul in 2006. It's the practical counterpart to resolution number one. If I can just make a little more money, and spend a little less, maybe the 2006 balance sheets will be in the black and not the red. I have no more grandparents left to keel over and help me out when business is bad. Alright, that last comment was in really bad taste and probably takes away a few good-person-points (GPPs). But I still think I'm in the black with the GPPs (though not with cash flow).

And with that, I wish you and yours a happy, healthy New Year. See you soon!

(The low-tech nature of this post -- i.e., lack of pictures -- is due to the death of the Dabbler's iMac, on the eve of its 3 year birthday and just prior, thankfully, to the end of its extended warranty. Currently, the logic board is being replaced, and I am using a borrowed computer to quickly write this post.)