Skip Relaxes

For Labor Day weekend, RTT and I headed to Nantucket (a benefit of living in boring Boston is its proximity to lovely east-coastal weekend getaways) joining my fabulous l'il sister and some friends.

The four days were filled with nothing. Literally. It was amazing. We ate excessively, drank copiously (as an "adult" it's embarassing to admit that we organized several games of flip-cup and hands-free flip-cup) and lounged extensively at the beach and on the deck(s) of our fantastical vacation rental.

Croquet in the garden, girls against boys Scene-It, bike rides to the beach, crab walks for the losers, The Ropewalk, lighthouses, sunsets and outdoor showers...I know I am not alone when I heartily exclaim that I can't wait to go back next year!

More pics at Ofoto.

Skip's Shoe

She has arrived!

While at BR in the fabulous footwear division, I was inspired by a lovely little flat and named her Abby, after my wonderous sister.

I know it is shocking that my sky-high heel wearing kin should spark the sentimentality of a ballet flat, but it just spoke to me. Demure, metallic, chic, versatile, fashionable and still so very now. But, of course! Fabs.

At Banana Republic right this very moment.

Boston Ski-Bunny

Once upon a time, I lived amongst the glorious, utopian weather that consumes San Francisco with 'Groundhog Day-' predicability. In those days, I couldn't imagine a climate that would require anymore fur than supplied in the infamous J.Crew Puffer Vest.

Now that my world has been shattered and the injustices of a continental climate begin to hint at the cold to come, I have realized that (1) I require an entirely new wardrobe that preferably includes the Miu Miu Gathered Tote in Smoke Grey and (2) I clearly need to upgrade my Ski-Bunny attire to include both more sleeves and more fur. Lucky for me, my talented sister, Fabs, works at Cole Haan and I can score this divine down jacket in Winter White with fur collar for 50%-off! I am certain to stop traffic when I cruise into the Talbots car park in this coat. Oh, yeah.

It makes me want to welcome winter with open arms!

At Cole Haan.

Boys of Summer

As it is nearly the end of summer, I thought I would take a moment to recap the easy, breezy, mellifluous music that dominated my summer listening.

The College Guys: All these guys sound like they were in Tri-Ship at New Trier or were your friendly Beta-next-door. Each has a calming Josh Kelley-like collegiate sound that is perfect when driving through Boston. Enjoy a summer Sunday with Jon McLaughlin's catchy "Industry", Steve Reynolds' (opening for Tom McRae on tour) softer "Satellite," William Fitzsimmons' rapturous "Funeral Dress" and the favorite depressing Will Stratton's "I'd Hate to Leave You" (as if you expected me to listen to upbeat music).

The Next Teitur: A crystal clear voice that permeates the softness of his articulate ballads...It could only be the insanely talented Teitur. Rather, it's that Fionn Regan's soothing "Abacus" can't help but bring to mind the sweet sounds of the shy Dane.

The One That Will Last: Brendan James has a haunting James Taylor-like voice (ironic that Carly Simon played the role musical fairy godmother in his discovery) that captivates with melancholy melodies and exquisitely written lyrics. Brendan has the most post-Summer potential, in my humble opinion.

Skip Loves Trevor Hall

I have been known to become so obsessed with a song that I play it over and over again to the point where my co-car passengers and co-dwellers develop a tick or the obscene version of turrets. Rarely does the over-playing effect my own sanity beyond some discordant singing out loud.

The tables were turned, however, when I saw Shrek; the Third and my musical hunger was piqued by the very last song to play during the credits. It was a soothing yet pop-y, reggae inspired ditty crooned by the most fabulously throaty voice. Gaaaah! There followed a seemingly endless search for the musician, trolling the world wide web with the lyrics I could remember...I very nearly went mad myself.

That is until the actual song was released by this fabulously throaty voice. I was able once again to utilize my repeat button and obliviously drive people crazy.

I am, of course, speaking of the gifted Trevor Hall and his song "Other Ways."

Where Are They Now?

Who could forget the fabulous 90's band Tonic? I have vivid memories of the hit "If You Could Only See" blasting on the tape deck (copied from the radio onto a mix tape) in my dad's black Chevy Blazer and thinking I was the coolest 16 year old on the North Shore. Awesome.

Well, I was instantly brought back to the time of Houlihan's, 7-Eleven and Early Bird Chemistry class when I heard Emerson Hart's music. The former Tonic frontman just last month released a new album, complete with his familiar yearning voice and depressing songs.

Unfortunately, it seems that his talent for lyrics is still lacking and his one-hit wonder status will likely remain intact. But, it's interesting to see where these 90's stars end up and how they keep trying (in vain) to recapture their limited and cheese-ball success.

Nevertheless, I can taste the Cherry Slushie now...

PS- Next up, Savage Garden's current employment status...

Skip's Engagement Party

This past weekend, RTT and I headed back to Chicago for a sneak preview of the wedding madness and wedding fab-ness to come in May 2008.

My lovely, mini-mummy hosted a classic, Harding get together for the near and dear. It was such a treat to have each of our families (meeting for the first time) and marvelous friends there to help with the typical over-abundance of food (that's right, 70 chicken breasts were cooked for 40 people on top of the 15 lbs. of steak, etc.) and celebrate, well...moi! Oh, and, I suppose RTT too.

I can only imagine how the intensity will thicken as we near the big day...Yipes!

You can view more pics at my "sister site."

Skip's Boston Reunion

Oh, happy weekend!

My lovely friends from W&L were reunited with yours truly in Boston after a 6-year hiatus. It's so reassuring to know that some friends never change or, more accurately, evolve with you. It was fantabulous.

You can view more of the (duplicative) fun here.

Skip's Self-Portrait #3,542

At Mary's Wedding

Skip Loves Mrs. Smith

RTT and I had the lovely lovely pleasure of attending the Miss Mary Woodard (now Mrs. Mary Smith) wedding celebration in Houston, TX this past Saturday. The Houston heat and humidity and an eerie feeling that concrete was slowly eating the city alive were such a burden to bear for four whole days (I was actually looking forward to my return to boring Boston). On the other hand, the welcoming spirit of its hosts, decadent Southern food and friends aplenty made the entire trip completely worthwhile.

More than anything, though, it was Mary's stunning performance as the bride that made me melt with happiness, sink with euphoric love, and smile with sincere jubilation. She was the picture of perfection -- beatific, humble, unbelievably gorgeous, statuesque and graceful. It was as if she floated on an air of earnest, genuine love for Jonathan. I cried. I was dazzled. Star-struck.

Truly. We should all be so lucky to experience the warm halo of such a dear friend's wedding.

Fast Forward

I told you I had been busy.

While it was never the objective to actually buy a new car last Saturday (we were merely browsing on the last day of the month), RTT and I just simply couldn't hold ourselves back.

We aimed to peruse the selections at an auto-mall-type setup just near Boston University. Honda, BMW, Infiniti, Saab and Nissan were all within walking distance from each other (and even owned by the same Herb Chambers) and open to inspect at our leisure. The thought was that we would eventually need a different automobile when the weather inevitably turned frigid and the Accord couldn't handle the icy roads and insanely, crazy, stupid Boston drivers (and, honestly, a vehicle that would make my 45-minute drive to a work a little less life-threatening). All our preconceived notions about purchase intent changed, however, when we laid eyes on Little Tiger.

We are such suckers.

Our lovely Little Tiger, returned that morning by a relocating couple and so named for the WWII German tank, is a barely broken-in 2006 BMW X3 in silver with black leather interior and the world's most amazing retracting roof. It is ridiculously, ridiculously fun to drive, unbelievably comfortable, has a killer sound system and, um, did I mention that the roof completely retracts?

It's the best 90 minutes of my day.

Jewelry Takes Time

Forgive me, dear readers! I have not been neglecting my blog without a good excuse. While it has been a good while, I've been very busy not planning my wedding, not saving money, and not going to the gym (that is literally one block away).

Rather, I've been very busy slaving away at Talbots, my new employer, as the Buyer for Fashion Accessories, Legwear and Jewelry. I have two lovely little minions to do my Fashion Accessories and Legwear bidding, but it's a one-woman show when it comes to the Jewelry. Where it took 9 people at Banana Republic to operate a $40M annual Jewelry business, at Talbots, it's yours truly who is running the $38M show. Yipes!

It's been quite an empowering, stressful, exciting and daunting month. The beauty of this whole arrangement, however, is that as the president-CEO-Chairwoman-Commander-Fascist-Leader of the Talbots Jewelry World, anything I see that I want to develop, design or make I simply make a few phone calls and voila!

This particular perk came in very handy, in fact, when I discovered the designs of a one Kep New York, the sole jewelry designer for Lilly Pulitzer who also has her own line. I was madly in love with the gloriously delicious Chrysophase and Pearl Necklace and the Tumbling Turquoise earrings, so I simply sent them to the vendor.

Just 2 weeks and my craving will be satiated! In the meantime, the rest of the world can buy the pieces from Kep's fab website.

Jake Ryan

Having grown up on the North Shore of Chicago, I became very familiar with the prolific work of John Hughes, local filmmaker extraordinaire, most obviously because the movies were passed on like osmosis through the sticky summer Winnetka air and perhaps even through the womb. Regardless of method, the words to all of his movies are etched as if in stone into my memory. Many a summer afternoon was spent with friends in the freezing basement of my house, sucking on popsicles, soaking wet from the pool (may it rest in peace) and endlessly watching 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' or 'Mr. Mom' or 'Pretty in Pink.' To this day, along with my sister, we could act out 'Ferris' in a two-women show. Verbatim.

Of course, my very favorite Hughes movie was 'Sixteen Candles' mostly because I longed for the day that I could drive too and more because I was obsessed with Jake Ryan. He was my first movie crush...and fess up, gals. I know I am not alone out there.

Anyhoo...anyone who loved Jake Ryan and/or Sixteen Candles should vividly remember The Thompson Twins song that overpowered the final scene with Sam and Jake sitting on the table celebrating (at last) her sweetest of birthdays, If You Were Here.

Now, I'm pretty certain nothing could trump the holiness of that scene, the perfectness of that song and the candles and the dress...Ah! It was brilliant. But, I have stumbled upon a new version by shaggy Cary Brothers (he of Blue Eyes fame) that is quite delish. I recommend a quick hop over to iTunes to check it out. It will bring you right back to my freezing basement and I swear you will taste the sticky popsicles.

Skip Heads Back

...to blond, that is. I was so over being the smartest chicky in Cambridge, especially since all those morons from Harvard and MIT have left town for the summer, that I had to go back to blond. It was a painful procedure and is still in progress, but I feel so much lighter...so much more airy. Hmmm...

Mecca

Really. I am speechless. How can I describe today's visit to Mecca (a.k.a. the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth, MA) to my darling readers? Peculiar? Oddly refulgent and glittering? Unearthly? Morbid (Edward Gorey collected spooky antique pliars)? Amazing?

Tourfilter

Of course the minute I moved to Boston I went to Track 50 to update 'my location' so that I could be kept abreast of my favorite bands' movements into Cape Code and perhaps partake in a concert or two. Imagine my utter stupor when I discovered that Track 50 doesn't include Boston! What?!?! Where do I go? How do I know who will be where when? This is very unsatisfactory (not that I can really do anything about it).

So, after complaining to RTT for far longer than required, today I set about making a calendar for all my bands' concerts in the Boston area in the coming months. It's tiresome, unrequited work, but someone has to do it. What tedium! Until...

I discovered Tourfilter, a retro-feeling Track 50 competitor with much more country coverage that, yes sir, includes Boston!

Now I can go back to obsessing about my Corbusier chairs.

Skip's Current Loves

When you are unemployed, as I am, there develops large expanses of time that need to be filled with activity or thought or accomplishment. I suppose I could just sleep all day (and believe me, I've tried) but then what would I look forward to at night?

Rather, being marginally OCD, I obsess about certain things that I would otherwise completely overlook or lack the time to devote to the cause. So, I figured, why not let my dear readers in on my deepest thoughts, again...

(1) I could literally listen to Chris O'Brien's song Lighthouse on repeat. Oh wait, I did. His voice is so calming yet slickly smooth. Yum. Should I be surprised that he lives in Boston?

(2) As I think about how to decorate our new Biscuit apartment (with limited input from RTT because his vote only counts 1/8) my mind fills with different personalities that might apply to the design scheme. I haven't gotten very far because, clearly, I have a lot of facets to my personality (thankyouverymuch) and my dearest Yip isn't here for guidance. I have however determined that, if possible, I would like to marry these cowhide chairs by Corbusier.

(3) While I have somewhat intentionally removed myself from the wedding planning for now (my planner, Fabs 'Mindy Weiss' Harding, is dealing with all that nonsense) as I concentrate on finding a job, I have had some time to peruse the dress options out there. First of all, THEY ARE SO EXPENSIVE! Is that a joke? $8,000 for a dress? You wear it once! Secondly, they all look the same. I got bored really quickly. I did however find one designer, Saeyoung Vu whom I love. Her dresses are ethereal and muted without being fragile or trite. I like Celosia and Lotus. To-do: lose 100 pounds and try on Saeyoung dresses when next in New York.

(4) I miss my friends. As much fun as it can be to surf the world wide web and troll for music and miscellaneous furniture, I dearly wish I could have the company of my gal pals from San Francisco. With any luck, divine inspiration will make up my mind about the 3 job offers I have and I can start work soon. Hopefully, there will be some friends for me at my new company...not that anyone could hold a candle to my lovelies in California.

Shadow Casting

How insanely cool are the Blik wall decals?!?!

I love the strangely elegant and fancy yet still tongue-and-cheek chandeliers or coat racks or shelves. What a creative way to dress up a room without the need for pesky drills and holes.

At Blik Surface Graphics.

Skip Goes to Heaven

This past week(end), RTT and I jaunted off to Blackberry Farm in the Smokey Mountains for Tennesee for his new company's annual retreat. This place was divine. You are so jealous.

Whatever our whim was ours' for the asking (taking). Feel like some port by the fire in the cottage? No problem. Fancy some s'mores by the campfire? Coming right up. Like a special kind of expensive whiskey? Here you are, 'on the rocks,' just like you want it. It was literally like we had died and gone to heaven. To boot, everything was totally, 100% paid for. We had massages in the spa, enjoyed facials and body wraps, went white water rafting, rode bikes, played golf and dined like kings (or many kings, I'm pretty sure I gained 10 pounds while there). I even fell in love with a brownie recipe in one of our gourmet packed lunches for which they promptly sent me the recipe (see below).

I cannot wait until next year's event. RTT is lobbying for the South of France.

Blackberry Farm's

WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON BLUEBERRY BAR

yield: ½ sheet pan

Melt:
1c. butter
1c. white chocolate

Add:
3 ½ c. brown sugar

Whisk in:
4 ea. Eggs
1T vanilla

In another bowl, mix together:
2 c. Flour
4t baking powder
2t salt
Zest of 2 lemons

Whisk with wet ingredients and fold in:
2c. fresh blueberries
1 ½ c. white chocolate, chopped

Spread in a foil lined ½ sheet pan (***Fold foil up or there may be oozing***).

Bake at 325 for approximately 35 minutes or until springs back in center.

Skip Loves a Discount

Well, I'm pretty sure no one ever made millions working in retail...until they were almost dead. No one is in this business for the money, ask my bank account. It's the passion for product, the desire to guide the ever-fickle, ever-ignorant consumer, the glamour, the parties (um, ok, not really) and mainly, it's the discounts! Perks are what motivate people to work in retail. There are no two ways about it.

Being unemployed myself (though hot on the trail of several jobs in the Boston area, finger's crossed), I no longer am afforded the benefit of hefty 50% discounts at Gap Inc. brands, but my savvy sister, the always fabulous Fabs, has joined a company that is ripe with discounts, not only for her but for her family too! Now, that is why we work in retail. Families of Cole Haan employees get a 50% discount at Cole Haan stores and now online at Nike too! I can run in my oppressive, expansive spare time with lovely new shoes and matchy outfits!

Finally, perks for being related to Abby.

The Long Winter

Ok, so it's not Winter, but the title felt appropriate since so much has happened since I last wrote.

First, RTT and I got engaged at the Hotel Healdsburg on April 19th and then proceeded to consume the most fantastically delicious and divine meal I have ever in my life eaten (sorry, West) at Cyrus in Healdsburg.

Then, RTT and I drove across the western United States over the course of 3 days in order to arrive in Chicago in time to catch a flight to a wedding in Orlando, FL. A few things to note, Reno is very lunar, Wyoming is the most boring state in the union, french fries for 3 meals a day for 3 days will make your arteries hurt, and Utah is extremely windy. Also, travelling with cats is NOT FUN. I do not recommend it for 36 hours of travel time.

This past weekend, RTT and I, along with my parents, went to the Florida wedding of my gorgeous friend, Miranda. It was such a good time! I am now looking forward to mine....if for no other reason than to stand up the challenge of "Most Fun Wedding."

And, now, RTT and I are lazing about Chicago waiting to embark on the final phase of our drive across the country and slowly forming a plan for our own wedding, tentatively scheduled for May 9th, 2008. For my fair readers, you can stay up to date on all the insanely fun (um, kind of) plans for the wedding here.

Hopefully when I have world wide web access in Boston, I can write about more fun things. Stay tuned!

Marvelous Macabre Movie

Thanks to my dear friend Mike "Collars-Up" Crittenden and the Yahoo! portal page, I'm pleased to announce the development of an Edward Gorey movie! Eeeeeks! Jim Hensen's studio (naturally) will produce this live action film based on Gorey's children's story "The Doubtful Guest."

I cannot wait to see the little kiddies running scared from the theatres.

Urban Alphabet

I think I will use these wall tiles to make my shiny, optic white condo a little more edgy. They couldn't be cooler if I had taken the pics myself. Sort of.

I like London, France and Hong Kong.

At Bella Muse.

Skip is Ready to Rock

Much to my delight, I have discovered that besides New York, it seems Boston is the next best music city in the country (ok, maybe tied with San Francisco and Chicago) saturated with indie venues, budding artists, grass-roots university advocates, locally-fueled radio sations and a culture of musical appreciation. Why, just in my brief perusal of the musical options open to me, I have found several fantabulous concert hosts! Yippy Skippy!

For example, Great Scott seems like a Bottom-of-the-Hill-ish location showcasing artists like the French Kicks, Rocky Votolato and a great many DJ wannabes, while T.T. the Bear's Place (love the name by the by) up the street from Skip's house, plays the Independent-esque card with acts like Wheat, Jamie Treadwell, and James Morrison. Then, of course, there is the literally-next-door Middle East Club with more of a Cafe du Nord vibe. After that, we have The Abbey Lounge, The Paradise Lounge and Club Passim and a plethora of other bar-like open mic options.

Stay tuned (I've no doubt) for updates on my musical adventures in Boston. I can't wait!

The Mysterious Multiplication of Joe Brooks, Musician

On one of my unguided yet fervent trips around the world wide web looking for treasured music, I came across an odd accordance. There are not one, but two Joe Brooks; solemn singers with youthful aspirations of musical success, a penchant for emo/acoustic-rock and (obviously) MySpace.com pages.

The truly bizarre point of my story, is that I like them both.

Joe Brooks #1: hails from the U.K. and is about 8 years old, love the song 'Foolish Man' and must work on having a CD sent to the family estate in Ealing.

Joe Brooks #2: lives in Los Angeles and recently had a little ditty on 'The Hills,' far too much facial hair for his age, but I adore the depressing 'Strange.'

This concomitance is a first for Skip.

Skip Loves Fig Newtons

While I have been known to be extremely dogmatic about apartment living -- hardwood floors, crown mouldings, venerable character and quirky heating -- I'm learning that, in Boston, an intolerance for crisply clean condo-style creations means residing in a fabulously historical shoebox with a great location. Beacon Hill is precious in more ways than one and Back Bay, while convienently close to LouisBoston, is also priced that way.

The more I think about it, however, the more I recognize what a sucker I am for modern comforts...I require air conditioning and elevators, I love my Louis Vuitton Speedy as much as the next girl, fall into the DailyCandy craze, er, daily, and work in retail. I couldn't be more yuppie if I tried. I'm frankly a conformist.

So, while in Boston this weekend with RTT, it wasn't such a stretch to decide to rent a place at University Park in Cambridge. We're going to reside at the Kennedy Biscuit Lofts, formerly the Fig Newton factory, which seem to happily mix the corporate apartment amenities (gym, concierge, on-site grocery store, shuttle) with a little bit of character (exposed beams, enormous cookie oven in the lobby, etc.)...all for a great price and a ton of space. It's really the perfect fit for a yuppie in-disguise like myself.

And, if I'm feeling all too everybody for comfort, I can literally skip over to Middle East Club, the foremost indie music venue in Boston (more details in later posts, I'm certain) and rub shoulders with Aqueduct, Cold War Kids or Joseph Arthur.

Does it really get any better than that?

Skip Goes Brown

While sitting at my cube in my New York office this week, it struck me that I needed a new haircolor for my new homebase. Not that there are too many other color choices, but brown seems a perfect fit for Boston. Red brick homes, cobbled streets, conservative attire...bimbo blonde just felt old. I am over it.

And, guess what? I love the new 'do. I feel smarter already.

Skip Skips Town...Permanently

T-minus 50 Days.

'in the light of the sun, is there anyone? oh it has begun...oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed, this world you must've crossed...you said...you don't know me, you don't even care, you don't know me, you don't wear my chains...essential and appealed, carry all your thoughts across an open field, when flowers gaze at you...they're not the only ones who cry when they see you you said...you don't know me, you don't even care, you don't know me, you don't wear my chains...she said i think i'll go to boston...i think i'll start a new life, i think i'll start it over, where no one knows my name, i'll get out of california, i'm tired of the weather, i think i'll get a lover and fly em out to spain...i think i'll go to boston, i think that i'm just tired i think i need a new town, to leave this all behind...i think i need a sunrise, i'm tired of the sunset, i hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice...boston...where no one knows my name...'

Artist: Augustana
Song: Boston

Cold War Kids

I can't decide if I am in shock that my sister has such nuanced and profound taste in music or if I am deeply disappointed with myself for an apparent complete lack of band talent radar recently.

Either way, Cold War Kids rock and being from Britain they deserve even more of our attention. The boys have a vaguely White Stripes sound only with better voices, more softly, singable tunes and smarter lyrics. Hospital Beds is my favorite because, well, I'm a sucker for beats.

Robbers & Cowards available now.

PS- I love their website. So cool.

Skip's Deepest Thoughts

Granted I've been inconspicuously absent these past few weeks, but I have not been idle. My mind is often riddled with thoughts related to world events, politics, humantarian objectives of peace, etc., etc....but, let's be honest, these are all to be drowned out by my less altruistic, more domineering obsessions; people, products and places.

Here are just a few of my most recent fixations;

(1) Tom Ford; how I love thee, creator of my sunglasses and Black Orchid fragrance!

(2) Baume & Mercier; finally the classic silver watch I have been searching for!

(3) After dining at Commander's Palace in New Orleans, RTT and I have become enthralled with the Whiskey Smash.

(4) Moving. New York, Boston, London...each city seems like a new adventure full of restaurants, shops, people, jobs and apartments that are all calling my name.

(5) Secret Bars; after sending in the jesters to test the spot, I've decided that I must go to the latest underground hot-spot (speakeasy) in San Francisco, Bourbon & Branch...it's feeds my BYT (bright young thing) desperation.

(6) Cav; all things wine and different. I love it.

(7) Britney; what is it about a train wreck that keeps you looking at the pathos and sadness?

(8) Butterfly Boucher; her latest release 'Bitter Song' feels like sadness coursing through my veins. It's brilliant.

(9) Super Nintendo; now that my neighbor Jason has joined the retro-video game addiction, we can start a help hotline. I even dream of Yoshi.

(10) Patrick Watson; HOW did I miss this guy until now?!?!