Blueberry Pancakes & Happiness at Julie's

There are few things as classic

as a breakfast of fluffy, sumptuous

simply delicious blueberry pancakes

I had been craving these puppies ever since I saw 

Bobby Flay's blueberry pancake Throwdown with 

Clinton St. Baking Company

although it's right by my house

I've never been

and I departed from the 

LES to the big PK without even coming close to tasting their 

famous blueberry pancakes slathered in 

maple butter

I love Bobby Flay more than most 

and watching him compete makes my cravings run wild

so for weeks I've been thinking about 

blueberry pancakes

and sitting down to a bright shining plate of beautiful golden discs

littered with violet blueberries

and glistening maple syrup

you know, just like mom would make

so today I had one of my first culinary pleasures at a diner in the big PK,

something I thought would never happen to me in this sad little town

thank god it did, I start to forget what good food tastes like, 

seeing as the only thing I ever eat are 

egg white omelets

it's a sad fate

but the omelets are the safest and freshest choice 

(does anyone else think omelet doesn't even look like an English word?)

maybe it's just me...from eating too many

anyhow, I went to Julie's Restaurant

a cute little joint with homey wood paneling

a grandma (or yaya) in a great floral print sweater

working alongside her son & daughter

can that get more classic?

I felt like I was on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives

if only Guy Fieri was there, he's my other favorite

these Food Network men live the good life

I'd like to marry one of them

getting back on track,

we ordered blueberry pancakes & a Vassar wrap

the name is not worthy of the amazing food concoction I received

the pancakes were juicy, fluffy, and bursting with blueberries

topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, 

so I knew I was actually in heaven

I sipped my huge glass of orange juice and smiled blissfully

seriously, I felt like I was living the high life

I didn't have any fancy maple butter,

but I had a cute little pitcher given to me

by a real grandma, so I knew it was full of love

that beats maple butter any day in my book

and the wrap was full of broccoli, mushrooms, & swiss

in the best, most sturdy and tightly wrapped

special tortilla ever

for some reason Vassar never serves broccoli

so it was a real treat to once again taste my favorite vegetable

as I expressed my thanks & elation to the waiter

after my craving had been satisfied

in response to conversation about all the good restaurants in the city

our waiter said 

"yea, but there is nothing like momma's cooking, and I get to have that everyday"

that broke my heart, because I miss my mom

but Julie could be my surrogate any day, who knows

maybe she'd even let me borrow some floral print.

Wishing for Spring

Today when I woke up

it was 10 degrees, 

10 sad, sad degrees

so I was forced to wear my boyfriend's itchy gray cardigan

I shouldn't complain

since I quite like it,

minus the prickly feeling it gives me on my tummy,

but the quad looked like the tundra today 

and my hat flattens my bangs down

so they jut out 

over my eyes;

I just found an eyelash on my keyboard

a real eyelash, surprisingly not covered in any mascara

I never wish on the mascara covered ones

they just don't seem pure enough to be lucky

to have that wish granting power, you know?

anyhow, this eyelash that I just blew off the tip of my finger 

made me feel a bit better about the weather

if it was a realistic wish, I would have wished for spring

for spring to come right now

so I could wake up, look out my window at the bright green grass

and whip out those open toe shoes once again

for they have been collecting dust in their boxes

I can't wait for spring to finally arrive

so I can eat strawberries

in every way, because I realized that I truly take them for granted

seeing as I haven't had them in months

I'll eat them covered in chocolate and cake icing,

sliced up in my Honey Bunches of Oats in the morning

in their natural state still dewy from being washed as I do my Sociology readings

chopped up in a fruit medley

the possibilities are endless

fruit salad sounds so nice to me right now

just the way my mom used to make it when I was young

sliced apples, crisp

bright green kiwi rounds and sweet pear bit hiding behind juicy orange slices

I'd like to fix myself a bowl of fruit salad

and sit out in the grass and attempt to read

I'd probably spend most of my time brushing the ants off my legs

nevertheless I'd be happy

if spring would just come a bit quicker.

Cravings

I just got a painful craving for a cinnamon raisin bagel

slathered with cream cheese

I just think everybody should know

this craving hurts

my raspberry coffee has been long finished

I need a break from Gogol and the complication of Russian names

if I was Russian my name would probably be something like Alyssavanava

oh boy

the older women next to me are talking about "firing their glass kilns"

and how they haven't done it in a while

seems like a sexual code,

you know, talk of bowls being "just the right size"

either which way, I need a bagel,

a fat juicy bagel please.

My Heart Belongs to Holden Caulfield

So, J.D. Salinger died 

which actually makes me a bit scared

because Howard Zinn also died

I cannot even count the hours 

I spent learning the

real people's history of the United States 

in his psuedo company

or how many times Holden Caulfield

 made me giggle and 

fall in love in love with him

a tad more with each page I turned in 

Catcher in the Rye

he was so damn charming, I wish he was real

he got me through lonely, hot days at work (bleak times)

I guess he is my ultimate literary crush 

so misanthropic and angsty, as jaded as a guy that young could be

oh, what a boy

a great, great boy...

Michael Jackson died,

Anna Nicole Smith (who I really loved)

Brittany Murphy

and now Heidi Montag has a new face,

the times are really changing

it feels so weird 

gosh, I feel like I'm in the Netherlands in the 17th century

for the first time realizing how temporary and transient everything is

maybe I've been looking at too many Baroque paintings

it's all I Google nowadays

when I should be doing the ten thousand pages of readings I have

Gogol, Marx, Pound...these men are ruling my life

and I just want to sit here, slurping my raspberry iced coffee, 

biting on the straw

and who knows,

maybe Holden will saunter in, wearing a pea coat and plaid scarf

and he'll sit down and complain, huffing and puffing, about all the phonies 

in this here coffee shop,

then maybe he'd ask for my number

and we can go out for a drink

I don't even drink, 

but for Holden I sure would,

maybe I could be that girl that would just knock him out.

"Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented.  If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it.  I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will."  ~Holden (J.D. Salinger)

Back to School Blues & Haikus

It's been a while, 

so I'm promising 

consistent updates 

I've just been struck with the blues ever since the car ride back up to PK 

on that fateful day of 

Martin Luther King

I'm back to le old grind

a life of 50 page long packets of art history reading, 

modernist poetry, absurdist Russian lit, and

dim lecture halls

oh how I long to be home

where alarms don't ring, and I have every TV channel at my fingertips,

along with the best pup ever (for prime time cuddling)

here, there's no DVR, but more importantly no Oxygen

rendering me without the weekly pleasure of watching chaos erupt in the

Bad Girls house,

 which was my first woe of last night

I haven't been able 

to sleep lately, 

I think it's because of the different sights & sounds

I got so used to laying in my bed at night, 

and being able to 

see the stars out of my window without even 

getting up

now when I look out from beneath my covers I see the irritatingly insistent

small, green flashing light on the fire alarm

I toss and turn at night and its fast blinking just teases me

so now I'm an apparent insomniac

afflicted by late night screaming on the quad,

a far departure from the hum and rumble of the J,M,Z trains 

as they traveled across the Williamsburg bridge

oh, what a lullaby

I'm in the haiku writing mood today,

inspired by a haiku I wrote about my roommate's nightmarish travel experience

on her way from Minnesota to PK

a trip that can be summarized in starvation (4 chicken nuggets), 

multiple flight cancellations, brooding in Detroit, lost baggage, sick passengers, 

and finally

deaf paramedics...no need for further explanation

think signing whilst doing CPR

basically, the trip was a plain catastrophe, 

poor roomie I dedicate my haikus to you

deaf paramedics

sirens and lights flashing

wheel chair malfunctions

I dreamt last night, of

sitting in a yellow bath

no qualms, just smiles

personal pizza

give me caprese, basil

personal heaven

Dear Dostoevsky,

How can I tell if I'm an 

underground woman?

Inspiration: Pinup

Pinup by thegirlwiththeheels featuring Yves Saint Laurent

Items in this set:
Yves Saint Laurent Piped silk bustier, 330 GBP
LPBG High Waisted Shorts, 160 GBP
Harajuku Lovers Iggy Heel - Black, $100
Vintage Ad Page, $450
Black Chain Lattice Belt, 18 GBP

Inspiration: Cameo

This is my new, dangerous obsession

Cameo by thegirlwiththeheels featuring Rachel Leigh jewelry

Items in this set:
Maurie & Eve Black Leather Bustier, $163
lace top tutus LACY - ModelMayhem
Cinderella Bella Tutu - White, Black, Gold, Pink | Friends of Couture
KG By Kurt Geiger Vina Lace Up Platform Boot, $163
Judith Leiber Vintage Patchwork Evening Bag

The Unfortunate Mishaps of My Winter Break Pt.1

I feel happy enough after discovering Polyvore

and being able to technically shop and put together outfits without spending any cash

that I'm about ready to relive all the unfortunate things 

that happened to me over the last couple of weeks

most which ended in paranoia & tears

I usually have the most unbelievable good luck

winning contests, finding money in H&M right when I wanted to buy a new skirt etc etc

so my turn of luck was a real surprise to me

and it all started on that ill fated day I was wearing my lucky underwear 

and broke my favorite booties

I just got them fixed yesterday, and I didn't even feel any better

my bad luck was just amplified over winter break

all starting a couple of weeks ago on my way to ice skate

I was so pumped,pumped for a day of free ice skating 

at Bryant Parkand trying a new Jamba light smoothie,the Berry Fulfilling one

too bad it didn't have a name associated with Buddhism

like Strawberry Nirvana & Mango Mantra

especially when I have been collecting such good karma,

like finding a kid's cell phone on St. Marks & 

calling his mom and going to his school to return it

he was a 6th grader, that really touched my heart

I held his shiny new Nokia in my hand and 

I was on a mission to restore happiness to his young heart

for I remembered when I was in the 6th grade and I got my first cell phone

a pretty decent silver LG flip phone

all black and white, no camera, nothing special

I still had the nicest phone of all my friends anyhow, I was successful in returning the phone

and it warmed my heart when the boy's mother fervently asked God to bless me

so I felt great, like a good Samaritan full of good deeds and oncoming good luck

so to my suprise & sadness as I stood in the 14th St. station waiting for

my beloved F train, peering into the dark tunnel for any sign of an oncoming train

it seemed like the perfect photo op

so I swiftly took out my camera and stepped back from

the scary edge of the platform

oddly my memory card was full

although I had just deleted all the pictures off of it 

curious I opened my camera, stepped back from the edge of the platform and 

pressed the memory card so that it would pop out a bit and I could grab it

yet, to my surprise the memory card not only popped out...

but literally jumped out of the camera and hopped right into the subway tracks

then a rat came by, and I just hoped it would pick up my memory card and gnaw at it 

so I could just really cry

I still went uptown, after waiting around for an MIA MTA employee to find my card

yea right, that was never going to happen

then in Jamba Juice they served me hard oatmeal

I refused to go ice skating for fear I would fall and someone would roll over each one of my small fingers 

with the shiny blade of their skate, 

resulting in a bloody rink and a maimed me.

   

Inspiration: Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by thegirlwiththeheels featuring Miss Selfridge shoes

Items in this set:
Lingerie dress, $350
Black Tassel Peeptoe Shoe Boot, 60 GBP
Stage Name Purse in Film Noir, $35
Kenneth Jay Lane Gold-tone strand necklace, $63
Designer Jewellery Jewelry Fashion Costume Vintage Accessories..., 38 GBP

Inspiration: Claire Huxtable

Claire Huxtable by barbiebabycakes featuring Donna Karan

My Little Tribute to Vintage Sitcom Fashion

Before the mass production of tube bras in various prints by 

American Apparel there was 

Ginger from Gilligan's Island

rocking a super chic floral print

now that's what I'm talking about

(it's sad how much I love floral)

before Lady Gaga describing herself best as red PVC fabric

there  was Janet 

from Three's Company

Janet, Chrissy, Claire,

Ginger, & Mary Anne

in all their chic, glamorous, jumpsuited, high waisted, fabulousness & glory are why 

TV Land should be the 

new Style Network.

My Sea of Treasures:The Salvation Army

Speaking of the sea & treasures, 

before I start my speech about the greatness of the Salvation Army

I must say that I am just so done 

with the continuous return of the 

nautical trend for every single spring season 

I can remember

stripes are fine

but I could really do without the racks and racks of kitschy, tacky

clothes and accessories adorned with rhinestoned anchors and such,

it all really just grinds my gears

                                                    anyway, on the same day I went to Strand I got a bit distracted from my venture to buy cheap books for Spring Semester when the Salvation Army caught my eye

with only 20 extra dollars to spend and a dream I ambled in to the store

and was immediately welcomed by the musty smell of old, unwanted clothes that hold decades of history

and shelves of dusty romance novels and pregnancy books hiding the occasional classic or

contemporary treasure

I've scored numerous amazingly lucky deals at the Salvation Army

vintage YSL belts, lacy lingerie tops to pair with some great boots

cute vintage lunchbox style purses, waist belts with classically vintage gold belt buckles

among other treasures hidden on racks beneath the clouds 

of stained, slightly smelly mystery clothes

anyway, on this particular occasion I was on a mission for...blazers

I'm just obsessed studs, mismatched buttons, ruffles, velvet, cropped, any type: I love em all

preferably with shoulder pads, the define shoulders in a blazer are a classic

and cannot be found in new clothes, Forever 21 & Urban just don't get it

the shoulder pads are essential

go big or go home and wear a cardigan instead

so after scoring a cropped bolero style Ann Taylor, complete with killer shoulders,

a gorgeous gray number with vintage gold buttons and crop sleeves,

and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri [who I just adore] I was set

thank you Salvation Army for bringing us treasures hidden under piles of junk

I'm always tempted to rummage through the lingerie bins for lacy finds...

but upon touching someone else's old white lace bra 

(there are more white lace bras than anything) and full coverage lacy panties I can't really go on

I mean, I don't know if it is ok to have my hands relive dozens of womens' dirty memories and 

sex extravaganzas to find a good deal

anyhoo, my love for blazers, shoulder pads, and vintage wonder

is what connects to the Cosby Show

on top of the fact that Bill Cosby is just a comedic genius 

and the show is just so laugh out loud funny and genuine and just great

I must say, I love the way the girls dress

maybe all those costumes ended up in a Salvation Army

but Claire's (the mom's) gold brooches, Technicolor jumpsuits & grandma earrings just 

tickle my fancy & send me into fits of admiration, inspiration & envy

and let me tell you, that woman knows how to rock shoulder pads,

red lipstick & sass better than anyone else I've seen

I'm forever going to be stuck in the past, the days of cooler boots, gold-er accessories, 

awesome sitcoms, and even more awesome books

TV Land, here I come.

My Love Affair with William Faulkner

So I was just in the shower thinking 

about my next blog post

following my strict regimen of shampoo, conditioner, brush teeth, soap, rinse hair

or so I thought...

in my excitement to blog I was conditioning my hair

and could not remember whether or not I shampooed it

which is ridiculous, an 18 year old should not be experiencing that sort of memory loss

nonetheless, I shampooed and conditioned all over again, just in case

and I promise myself never to let blogging cloud my rationality or memory ever again

now, lets get to the goods:

amidst the tragedy of going back to school comes the misery of buying new books

I mean, I'm super excited for my classes

quick summary: American Modernism, art history, 

17th century Flemish painting, & Alice in Wonderland

yes, sounds amazing but the bill for my books doesn't

so I moseyed on over to Strand to buy books for my English class

which actually was a complete joy, because Faulkner is on my reading list

yes ladies and gents...William Faulkner, the one of the ultimate loves of my life

I know some girls swoon over abs, and charm 

but what really makes my heart beat is beautiful prose

throw me some sensuous imagery & a lush metaphor 

and basically you got me 

which is why I love Faulkner

with his Southern Charm, thick mustache, and pensive gaze, 

I'm just hooked

what can I say? he even makes tweed look good

and everyone already knows my thoughts on tweed...that vile fabric

anyway, in all his mustachioed glory Faulkner is my man 

so there I was, sitting on the couch, watching back to back episodes of True Life 

all tutu-ed and floral-printed out reading The Sound & the Fury,

just in heaven,

transported to the South amidst moral decay

then, I dropped my book and it opened to page 125

and a certain sentence seemed to glow on the page

I swear the sunlight was streaming through the window 

like it was Christ's second coming or something

and I read that lovely sentence 

"Her face was like a cup of milk dashed with coffee in the sweet warm emptiness"

there it is, that is romantic, that is love

that is a bouquet of roses and a love poem and a dinner for two wrapped up into one sentence

and that is why I am in love

...it sounds like I really miss English class

so shoot me, maybe I do

but I'd much rather conduct English class from my couch with my fleece robot blanket.

MAX, my Italian love

Long time no blog eh?

I've been soaking up my last days of being home

in the wonderful city,

trying to distract myself from the fate that awaits me in Poughkeepsie

long nights in the library reading while half asleep,

shopping being limited to 3 hours on the weekend after enduring a 

sweaty, obnoxious shuttle ride 

vending machines with Swedish Fish but no Sour Patch Kids 

(which should constitute a crime)

gross clumps of hair in the shower drain

frigid toilet seats that give me a surprisingly unpleasant jolt in the mornings

(people just love to leave the bathroom windows open)

but amongst those other nightmares that bring me

oodles of gloom

is the watered down pasta sauce that sadly coats the 

spaghetti, penne and all other things Italian

You know what I realized in college?

how much I love spaghetti, it was always one of those things I took for granted

never realizing the joy that those noodles could bring to my heart 

when slurped and enjoyed with plenty of thick, tasty sauce

spaghetti is so simple, so classic, so key to life honestly

that the college dining experience can 

massacre something so simply delicious

is beyond me, it is an utter shame

so as I enjoyed my first plate of spaghetti and meatless meatballs

I was elated, transported to another world of pizza and mama's pasta sauce

but that wasn't enough for me, I love my mother, but she is not Italian

I need some of nonna's cooking to satisfy my Italian cravings

the cravings my roommate knows much about

because instead of counting sheep at night, we talk about food until we are drowsy

best cure for restlessness, ever

anyway, the only way to satisfy, and possibly perpetuate 

[perpetuate is such a Vassar word, ew]

my craving for Italian was to visit the best Italian restaurant I know

MAX, on 4th and Avenue B, otherwise known as heaven

which the Zagat gave a 22 for  food, 15 for decor, and 16 for service

boo! I say to the 22 & 15!

for the dark rustic ambiance of the place takes me to another world

as does the food, after ordering Caprese & 

homemade gnocchi with tomato sauce, basil & mozzarella

I was set, ready for some sweet Italian loving

loving that I definitely cannot find at Vassar

the fresh mozzarella, tomato & basil were out of this world

and made me wish I was Italian for a few seconds...maybe a few minutes

so that I could have a fresh, moist little lump of mozzarella inhabiting my fridge at all times

then, the gnocchi came and I was instantly transported to a world of Vespas & gelato

a deep bowl of tiny potato love pockets in thick sauce, 

& cheese that was so melty and stretchy

I'm salivating just reliving the experience

those gnocchi made the gnocchi at Vassar look like fat maggots swimming in dirty red water

that sounds really gross actually...

anyhow, I love the Jersey Shore and everything

but the true Italian essence was in New York City, sitting in my bowl drowning in cheese.

This is exactly what I would look like if I was Italian, it's just uncanny.

Redemption

So, after literally shedding tears over the demise of Penny Licks

it was really hard for me to summons up 

the strength to get dressed, curl my hair, and leave my house

but boy, was it worth it

after crying and lamenting about my vegan cookie dough ice cream

nothing seemed right,

I swear it is because I have a Vitamin D deficiency

all the days of playing N64 & Wii and watching hours of Spongebob

[my dream vacation]

got to me, and I really needed some sunlight

for some serious depression [or maybe shopping withdrawal]

was setting in, I even began looking for food sources of Vitamin D

most of which I cant eat (cod liver oil)

or don't have (swiss cheese)

I'm beginning to feel like I've become a hypochondriac 

that's dangerous

seeing as I have WedMD in my bookmarks bar

it's always something with me, 

something that can usually be cured with some sort of retail therapy

if only doctors knew the secret to good health...

there would be no more prescriptions of medication

just gift cards

everyone would be healthy

I swear, I could cure sickness with this idea

oh, you have a cold?

go spend this $25 dollar gift card at Forever 

oh, a fever and chills?

$50 bucks at Urban should have you feeling brand new

I don't really know how much one would give for terminal illnesses

thats blurry territory...I'm not even gonna go there

just common illnesses

anyway,

after the tears, and a breakdown about my lack of boots

I ventured out to fill up on Vitamin D with a side of 50 mph winds

and I ended up in Steve Madden

where I fell in love & scored

all my life's problems faded away when I felt the 

knee high platform beauties on my feet

Thank you doctor

I followed that beautiful experience with Jamba Juice

my first ever

my Strawberry Nirvana Smoothie filled my tummy with

happy bubbles and sparkling flavor

that smoothie would cure anything just as good as penicillin

I felt enlightened

for a second I was a true Bodhisattva

and then, as I slurped my smoothie

the Spice Girls came on

Spice Up Your Life to be exact

so I bopped & grooved

and thought 

"It's my lucky day, they are playing the Spice Girls in Jamba Juice"

ahhhh, this feels like redemption.

New Year, New Woe: The Death of Penny Licks

Dear 2010,

2009 was particularly shitty

and I had some hope for what you were bringing to the table,

after celebrating New Years with 

pina coladas & the Puerto Rican masterpiece of a concoction: coquito

I thought that maybe you were on my side,

I thought wrong because 

ruin came to my holidays

Penny Licks is closed, for good

I get unusually attached to cutesy, kitsch 

dessert joints in my favorite neighborhoods

my first love was Sugar Sweet Sunshine

the best cupcake shop nestled on Rivington

where the pistachio cupcakes are to die for

and the soft, falling apart array of arm chairs

just suck you in

last year, around the New Year it was closed for a week

My heart sunk at the thought of its demise

no more Bob cupcakes with 

chocolate almond icing and no more strawberry cupcakes with sweet

cream cheese icing and 

heart sprinkles that gave me butterflies

luckily, I was not aware of their vacation period that fell right around Christmas, and my 

heart's joy was fulfilled when I could once again relish in their cupcakes galore

I loved this little place so much

I wrote about it in my Vassar college application & took my interviewer there

I like to think she loved me for me, but she might have just been wooed by the

decadent pumpkin cupcake I ordered for her 

anyway,

my life is ruined, for Penny Licks has left me

Williamsburg is weeping

the days of stopping in after hitting up my favorite vintage stores & the Salvation army 

are OVER

no more tiny, one dollar cones in assorted vegan flavors

that are actually better than real ice cream

or towering, lumpy scoops of vegan cookie dough 

topped high on a simple sugar cone

to scoop up with my vegan banana chocolate chip oatmeal cookie

yes, I said it: banana chocolate chip oatmeal cookie

a huuuuuuge award worthy cookie with fat chocolate chips and 

great banana flavor

my heart is sobbing at the mere memory

all I ever needed was a new pair of boots, a beautiful cone and a lumpy cookie and I was set

now where will I find that same love?

absolutely nowhere

never will I be able to soothe my ice cream craving & vintage obsession at the same time

so my verdict is that life sucks

and the world is going to the goons

that's the only way I can describe my feelings

because if I cannot have tasty vegan treats at my heart's desire

what can I have?

surely not happiness.