graceland

me inside of elvis's jacket.  he was like hey and i was like hey. so we took a picture.

in all honesty graceland wasnt all that crazy.  the house was modest from the exterior and actually quite small considering the amount of money he had.  his parents lived downstairs and he, priscilla, and lisa marie lived upstairs.  

come on it was the 60's everything looked crazy back then.

  

i think i know why elvis was so unhappy.  i mean how do you relax in rooms like these?

this woman was amazing.  she was in front of me for most of the tour.  she must have been 80 years old in silver jeweled sandals, an elvis t shirt, elvis rolling suit case, and a purple floral cane.  dont even get me started on all the jewelry she had on.  i almost couldnt pay attention to the rooms at points because she was just so good.

the jungle room is actually the family room.

i like to imagine that this infact is a horse elvis used to ride but i dont really know how that would work out in horse years and such.

elvis's dad was his manager.  i like how they just leaned all these paintings against the desks like this.  seems like the kind of thing a dad would get mad about but hey its his office.

and in his office you cant just loaf around so maybe they never had enough time to hang up those pictures. 

i think that bands should really start making keds that have their name and face on them again.

this hallway of awards just stretched on forever. 

i think all of elvis's songs would pretty much rule if  you hadnt already heard them a bazillion times before you could even figure out on your own what good music was.  theres just something so cheesy about most of them.

wow.

double wow.

i think this car needs the light tunnel floating over it even when its on the road.

once he flew this plane to colorado so little lisa marie could see snow for the very first time.  and then 5 minutes after landing they took off again because it was so cold.  and then one day she married michael jackson.

what you cant see is that the seatbelts are actually 24kt gold.

safety first.

this is his much more modest small passenger plane.

im like a ghost

in case you were wondering "tcb" stands for "taking care of business" which is totally what elvis was all about. work work work. no time for fun.

i had to have a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich when we where there.  i mean come on.  it was actually pretty good.  i figured when in rome right?

oh elvis.

natchez trace

insane right?  the bridge is from 1994 but the trail itself is one of the oldest in the us.  it was used by native americans way before mr. columbus came here and started the havoc that was reaked on our land. 

we took this road on our way into nashville which in my head seemed like a cool town where everyone looked like a cowboy or dolly parton.  not the case.  the grand ole' opry is a giant mega disneyland like mall that wasnt even worth snapping a picture of.  just imagine a huge parking lot, movie theater, and weird applebees like restaurants.  not fun.  but good to know.

WigWams

cave city kentucky.

the town was full of antique stores, and had "gun mountain" a place where you can watch jessie james gunfight reinactments. wow.

amazing! the hotel was built in the 30's and all of the original playground equipment, furniture, and signs were still in tact.  

a couple was celebrating their 42nd wedding anniversary there when we checked in.  they had stayed at the wig wams 42 years earlier because they were still in high school and it was all they could afford.

i want to live in one!

college is fun

i just want to know why none of those girls are looking at him.

and is that an older asian couple 6 faces down?

wildmen

steve brule:
not real


steve brile:
real


the resemblance is uncanny

i knew it

the 90's are back - i like it, and i want it.

creatures of comfort

oh my mr. otis

i love you so.

how did i miss this?

usually "these guys" annoy me with their weird improv in public spaces things. but come on - if i would have walked down into this i would have been so excited.  i mean its even my train stop. 

who wouldnt have wanted a drink in the station?

my favorite are the mta workers who are like:

"ok whatever you think this surprises me? ive seen it all"

and this guy is like:

"what in the....these white people are crazy"

i love new york.

ick - ea

wait......but i hate"Ikea"why'd they have to go and do this:

designed by the lovely ladies of "Janze Brogard Asshoff".

roy orbison rules

a quelle heure?

this ones for you papa bill.....

"freckle past a hair"

magic men

i just want to put them in my pocket and take them around with me all day.

if only i had a gold toilet...

mc hammer has been broke since the 90's.  

the company that built his swimming pool built my families - how cool is that shit.

i want it

i need it.  perfect for a picnic, safari crosstown adventure.

  "Billy Kirk"

my girl wants to

i just wanna meet a guy who wears a leather blazer and no shirt underneath eddie.

building my winter coat

most people look for work when they are between jobs.  me? nah.  ive started trying new recipes atleast once a week for fun, and the fact im obsessed with food.

made a vegetarian jambalaya that was pretty delicious.  didnt get the chance to take a after pic because we ate all of it. yumm.  but dont those veggies look pretty?  found the recipe on "Emeril'.  funny right?  definitely add more cayenne.  

Ingredients
6 cups vegetable stock, recipe follows
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups whole grain farro (or spelt), picked over for impurities and rinsed
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups quartered cremini mushrooms
1/4 pound okra, halved lengthwise
1/4 pound whole baby carrots, tops removed and scrubbed
1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch thick half circles
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Lower the heat to keep warm.

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and celery and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and farro to the pan and cook, stirring, until the faro is toasted and coated with oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, okra, baby carrots, zucchini, bay leaf, and thyme, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the warm stock, salt, black pepper, and cayenne, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock, 2 cups at a time, as the previous addition is absorbed, cooking and stirring, until all the stock is used and the grains are plump and tender.

Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning,to taste. Serve immediately.

these fleur de sel caramels were ridiculous.  i didnt even know i liked them until now.  found on "Epicurious'.out of this world.

1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon fleur de sel*
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

Special equipment: parchment paper; a deep-fat thermometer

preparation

Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.

Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.

Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.

Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.

see this guy likes eating too.  apparently hes really good at it cause thats a mess.

Camp Caboodle

this is completely real and completely awesome.  

never nudes

april 2009 vanity fair cover:

hasnt anyone figured out that jonah hill isnt funny. hes just weird. kind of like that one friend you had in high school that sometimes you laughed at/with but you werent really sure if it was because of the joke itself or how awkward the delivery.  

the rest of those boys can do no wrong in my eyes.  

paul rudd in clueless awesome.  

seth rogan/jason segal in freaks and geeks dont even get me started.

i kind of want a naked/not so naked suit.

im out of control

i alone am stimulating the economy this week.  the built by wendy sample sale was a godsend, and a trip to target today was more than i could have expected.

found the most amazing store.  perfect for my central park tour:
"deutsche optik''

i dont even know what to say.

just won this little gem on ebay.

oh my god......

03 07 09

Miranda July + George Bonanno
BRAINWAVE at the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC
Saturday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m.

Indie-filmmaker and writer Miranda July discusses the spontaneity and planning of performance in creating her film Me and You and Everyone We Know and writing the short story collection No One Belongs Here More Than You with Columbia University psychologist George Bonanno.

Tickets are $20

........ whenever i start to get down, new york you just bring me right back up again.

central park safari

you know when you stumble upon something and it just seems way too good to be true. well i just did. 

 "wildman" steve brill hosts tours of the different parks here in new york.  there is a particular tour of central park coming up on march 14th that involves him showing you what you can eat that grows naturally throughout the 843 acres.  and he does all this wearing that amazing safari hat, wire rimmed glasses, and a smile.  

the tours are donation only, and you are encouraged to bring plastic, cloth, and paper bags to gather your foragings.  seriously.  i mean come on. its like my dream. new york rules.
you have to watch the video, it really seals the deal.  he conducts this tour with a sense of humor that is part educational, and part cuckoo - i think im in love.

hes definitely on the list of people who make a dinner party.  move over benjamin franklin.