Penguins are RUDE

11:50 AM Ankura has joined

Charles has joined

Charles: hi!

me: I want to talk about the ginger bread man chase all together

me: that was a good day

Charles: awww!

me: a great day even!

Ankura: hahahaha

Charles: super day!

me: as you can see I'm working relaly hard today

Ankura: i wish today could be like that day

Charles: better than squirrel appreciation day!

11:51 AM

me: OH CHARLEY

Charles: OH NORA

me: you have to fucking buy your dman tickets to boston

babs and I bought ours

me: if you're not on the bus with us drinking vodka you're not our firend

Ankura: superbowl weekend! in boston!

Charles: aahH!

hahah

11:52 AM Ankura: hot toddys will be drank

me: drink drank drunk

Charles: yay!

Ankura: and socks will be worn, to terrys party

air mattresses will be inflated

and space heaters will be used this time, haha

Charles: haha terry throws me off by sending evites and not facaebook invites

hahaha

Ankura: its because he's over 30, hahaha

11:53 AM Charles: haaaha

me: hahahahaha

HAHAHAH

I love ankura

Ankura: i love nora

Charles: i'm in love with nora

Ankura: i

oops

i'm in love with a gingerbread man

11:54 AM me: OH SNAP

as in ginger snap

wokka wokkame: FUCKING BUY YOUR TICKETS

Charles: listen woman

11:58 AM Ankura: have you guys ever had Bison Grass vodka?

me: don't think so

11:59 AM Charles: moi auci

me: aussi

dummy

Charles: you're a dummy

me: that's true

Ankura: haha

in quebec they spell it auci

(thats a lie)

Charles: hahaha

12:00 PM OUE OUE OUE

Charles: i got home 3:40am last night! boston doesn't exist after 1:30AM

me: charley, did you buy your ticekts yet?

Ankura: i know, it kind of falls off the map

Charles: it enters a temporal shift

Ankura: haha or that

Charles: and reappears at 6AM

Ankura: just in time for the T to start running

12:08 PM Charles: haha if a city's metro isn't running the city doesn't exist

fact

Ankura: so that means boston doesn't exist after midnight haha

Charles: it's like the whole if a tree falls in the woods thing

woa this random hot guy just walked into the office

12:09 PM Ankura: get his digits

Charles: he's just so attractive

me: CHARLEY
DID YOU BUY YOUR TICEKTS?

Charles: NO

let me get on that

me: this might be as important as your hot coworker

Charles: haha, i need the tough love

me: or you're gonna have to take the china town bus by yourself like last time

and babs and I will be on a honeymoon

Charles: nooo!

12:10 PM me: and you will have to hold hands with a crazy smelly person

Ankura: yes, you'll be forced to

Charles: it's true, they enforce handholding

Charles: this guy needs to stop being so good looking and in my office

me: because hes distracting you from buying a ticket?

Charles: hahaha actually yes he is

12:12 PM Ankura: clearly

bring him on the bus with you

Charles: he's totally unexplained too! i have no clue what he's doing here

12:14 PM Ankura: i sent him there

Charles: i bet you did

12:15 PM me: CAN YOU PLEASE SEND HOT MANZ MY WAY?

12:16 PM Charles: well my guy just left i'm sure he's on his way to your office nora

to just inexplicably show up, look hot for a while, then leave

Ankura: oooh, too bad i dont have an office

Charles: the world is your office

Ankura: maybe he'll show up looking hot in my house

12:17 PM me: and then things can really get serious

in a house as opposed to an office

Charles: wooo!

Ankura: this is true

i'm sure he's heading to port authority right now

12:18 PM me: I read that as the pot authrority

me: which was confusing

but not THAT confusing

Ankura: pot authority

nyc needs a pot authority

12:19 PM Charles: at the port authority

Ankura: yes, thats exactly were it should be

12:20 PM me: you're right

12:21 PM Charles: I BOUGHT MY TICKETS NORA

12:22 PM me: I just peed my pants

in excitement

Charles: clean up before the hot guy shows up

12:23 PM hot guys don't appreciate pee on the pants

they do appreciate squirrels

2:32 PM Charles: haha

12:34 PM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11xs9mFKObs

just look at that penguin

12:36 PM digest that for a second. i'm going to grab a sandwich.

me: la la lives here

and this king penguin is really living like a king

I CANNOT DEAL

they gave him a backpack

that is PENGUIN shaped

Charles: I KNOW

12:37 PM me: and then he just SWALLOWS A WHOLE FISH

and walks away

and doesn't say thank you

Charles: I KNOW

hahha

me: he's a rude penguin

Charles: penguins are nature's assholes

12:38 PM me: hahahahHAHAHAHA he left his change in his other suit

and who names a male pengin LALA?

A year in review

Despite how tired the idea that a year has flown by, I must admit that I subscribe to this cliche once again. Last night I finished a most delish meal (at Northern Sky in the East Village, you should all go, it is my new favorite place, especially since my old favorite place, Corner Shop Cafe, has yet to reopen) and a very good glass of wine. During dinner the conversation was mostly about travel, about the best places like Barcelona and New York, and the places I cannot wait to go to, like Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Greece, and the travels I am about to embark on in just a few days- Paris and Berlin! With a full stomach, a sleepy head, and good company I repeated a sentiment that has been happily coming out of my mouth more and more often.

"Life is good."

The same feeling when I'm hung over, but not that hung over and I'm eating good pizza and drinking wine and know I'm going to ride my bike again. Or when I'm at a party really good friends and I've drunk wine and dancing is happening and there is a really cute guy who wants to dance with me. Or I just watched a friend drink a whole double shot of oily gin to get the team back in the bingo game. Or just brunch. I fucking love brunch.

Maybe drinking is a running theme...

I don't know if I am the kind of person that is just wholly content ever, but I certainly feel like I'm on the path. Not to paint this year too rosy, I had a couple of months where I was not sure if I was making the right decisions. I lost my internal strength and my motivation, and with it I lost my way- but with faith that I would come out of it I let that weirdness take its course.

While it was happening I fell in love with rock climbing, which is the most best thing ever, and I'm totally obsessed. Right now I'm just a plastic puller, with occasional trips to a rock face which usually scare the crap out of me. After almost a year of climbing I still cannot do a single pull up, but I manage to climb hard anyways, developing my technique despite my muscles. There has to be a metaphor in there somewhere about finding your own path. I actually took trips out of the city- that's right, I desired to be in Not New York City- upstate to climb the 'dacks and go camping, which were mostly foiled by rain, but such is life. I talked about food politics, classical music, and how the human population's stupidity never fails to amaze instead.

I took a trip to Israel- which is such a weird, interesting, and nutty country that I encourage at least one journey there. I didn't fall in love with the place like many do- although the desert is just WOW- however I did fall in love with my travel companions. While ten days of non-stop bad food combined with long bus rides seems like a set up for no fun it just made us love each other more. Because of the relationships I made I have been to Upstate NY, Philly and Baltimore, with trips planned to CT, Boston and New Orleans. I have a friend who wants to join in on the baller "Buy a Brownstone in Brooklyn" plan, which will fucking happen goddamnit. Unless the "Buy a Plot of Land and Live in a Shipping Container" plan happens instead.

I switched jobs- my first adult job switch. If I thought asking for reviews and raises was scary, switching jobs is terrifying. I loved my old job dearly. My boss took a chance on me- as I was wholly unqualified for the position- and taught me the ropes, and eventually let me start steering my own ship. Now that I'm in my new position the lessons I learned are continuing to reveal themselves even though I hadn't realized I was learning something at the time. Funny how that works. Now I am really starting to feel settled in my new place of employment and while I had to trade in my short in-boro commute for an awful MTA trip twice a day I now have a window with a view of a park. We all have to make concessions.

Speaking of jobs, Phil and I were hired to make another video! As in, we're getting paid for our work. As in someone saw what we did, liked it and sought us out to make another one because they believe that it will help them sell their product. As in I couldn't be more flattered. And bonus- I get to make another video with my best friend, Philip!

I cut my hair and dyed bits of pink. I thought it was fancy. Someone still hired me with pink hair.

Last night when I was in the the lawn in Prospect Park at 2:40 am watching the first Lunar Eclipse on a winter solstice in 400 years with two of my friends who had also ridden there on bikes.

Four years ago leaving college was a very upsetting moment for me. I was SO happy to enter the real world, get back to NYC, and enter the next phase because I was done with Chicago- but I was heartbroken to leave my college friends. My fourth year I had a core group of friends and much like a well curated museum they all fit together and I fit with them. I loved them so hard and I knew I was leaving them. Last night I felt like I was close to cultivating those relationships again. I have found people who ride bikes (on 42 mile long 5 boro bike tours), climb rocks, like making things (and want to start collectives), wear wigs, fancy shoes, and might spend too much on a coats. Friends who will craft sweaters for holiday parties, and have me over for long platonic dates with cooking, eating, drinking and movie watching that rival any romantic date I've had. Friends who want to go camping on islands and friends who want to go on ski trips. Friends who fly in and take me to fashion shows, come to roof top parties at the Standard and basement parties in SoHo. Friends who call me from Brazil, Germany and France. Who are doing amazing Peace Corps stuff in Ghana. Going to grad school in Boston and Baltimore. Who work on Daft Punk music videos. Who go to all day concerts with me and let me take naps in the middle of Union Square park. Could I have more amazing people in my life? Probably not- I challenge the universe to throw some more at me. I think I can handle it. 2011, bring it on!

Also- Hot Toddies. Those make life good and will cure your colds. Get on it.

Why don't we do it in the road?

A little teaser...

Vivian Tam

Is there any place cooler to watch a show than from backstage? Chloe even let me put on a headset to listen to how exactly the shows are coordinated. The girls stand in line- waiting, chatting, being (omg) real people with personalities, then BAM they hit the corner and seriousface comes on. Every once and a while they would make a silly face at us as they came off the runway, or comment on something they did while they were strutting their stuff as they ran by, already getting their clothes yanked off by a wrangler. The second they finish they are running around getting into their next look. Super cool to see the inner workings, hear the commentary (because the people coordinating the shows, well they are humans too), and just get dazzled by the fashun.

Backstage Shenanigans

Chloe knows I geek out when I get to see what goes on back stage. So she takes me. And I geek out.

I got to watch them testing out the HUGE VIDEO WALL. The back was just tons of cables coming out. Because I've worked in video before, I know there was a rhyme and reason to it, but it looked absolutely outta whack. I really liked seeing this super non-fashion dad on the screen.
There are secret tunnels that run all over the place. Chloe knows to make my little heart go pitter patter, all she has to do is text me "Lets meet by the tunnel." Usually she is running around like a cray cray because she has work to do, but she let me take a FIERCE FASHION POSE to satisfy my goofiness. Hopefully Tyra would approve of my finding the light.

Charley and I- New York Urban Planers, I mean Co-Presidents, I mean Co-Gods, I mean Kanye and his Phoenx.

Charles: i say we just get rid of queens and slide brooklyn up

actually midtown too

so brooklyn is still close to downtown

and no one really needs midtown

me: I hate midtown

except for bryant park

Charles: maybe hell's kitchen can be an island

and we'll move bryant park into hell's kitchen

i like that reworking of the city

hmm, although losing queens might not be the best, make it an island too

i say replace it with staten island, but keep the subway connectivity

then just throw staten island into the middle of the atlantic

me: lets get rid of SI

take all teh ass holes, put it on the island and give it to NJ

Charles: yesss

me: we're so smart

Charles: we should be mayors of the city

me: yes

bicycling for everyone!

Charles: who needs midtown!

me: and lots of buses!

Charles: with bike racks on them like in SF

me: and chicago!

Charles: and congestion pricing! and upper manhattan being closer to brooklyn!

me: yes

Charles: i love how i'm charles in your gchat btw

me: hah

its your name dude

Charles: i should legally change my name to charley

like next job i have i want it to just be officially charley

in my signature i still put charles

like my formal signature

i'll still say regards, charley

and then charles ferrari client relationship manager IHS inc corporate corporate corporate

me: CORPORATE

Charles: that's exactly what it says

corporate blahdy blah

me: nice

I love that

when we start a company can it say that at the bottom of our signatures

Charles: yes

yes it can

me: when we are co-presidents of nyc

Charles: charley ferrari

co-president of nyc

corporate blahdy title manager relationship strategist specialist

me: hah

destroyers of midtown

Charles: lol

slayers of staten island

Charles: maybe we can swap williamsburg and greenpoint for inwood and washington heights

i mean they're kind of the same shape

and the architecture in north brooklyn sucks

me: green point is good stuff

Charles: the art deco apartments and hilly topography would be a nice complement to brownstone brooklyn

yea some parts are

ok greenpoing can stay

Charles: bye bye williamsburg

me: see ya bushwick

Charles: yeaaa

me: hello inwood!

Charles: just pop inwood sideways there

but keep the water surrounding it! so make it like a little inlet with inwood popping out

like seriously, we should be city planners, our plans are amazing

me: That's true

except this is more than city planning, this is earth planning

screw being co-presidents, lets me co-gods

Charles: yess

me: of nyc only

Charles: i really like this plan

we'd make awesome gods

the cloisters can be our mount olympus!

how AMAZING would that be

like i always thought, if i ever became a vampire, i'd totally live in the cloisters

me: yes charley- if you ever become a vampire

this is very likely so its good you have a back up plan

Charles: god or vampire is likely?

i think vampire is more likely

god is a good backup

i'll also be very content with satyr

me: five year plan?

Charles: hell yea

i would be an awesome vampire

i've been told on more than one occasion my teeth already look like fangs a bit

like my incisors are very pronounced

me: good to know

Charles: if you were to be something supernatural aside from a god what would you be?

besides a gho0o0o0ost

me: like an established thing, or something I can make up?

Charles: you can make it up, be entrepreneurial

me: I'd be a kanye

Charles: i could be your phoenix!

me: perfect

ADAM

The show was phenomenal. The devil was in the details, because the show was very simple. If I remember correctly almost all the songs were Sleigh Bells, opening with this song: http://tinysong.com/v950 which you should probably listen to while reading the post as it gives the proper mood and delicately balances between light, airy and girly, and heavy and grownup.
The color story hung out mostly in the beige/white/light colors arena which is why this dress made such an impact. Hello red. Simple, charming, and mischievous running parallel.

This man knows about embellishments and really uses them to pump up the volume in a subtle way while still making an impact and strengthening the storytelling in the collection.
Like I said before- nothing ground breaking or brand spanking new, just a lovely collection that I would want every single piece from. It was well-rounded, cohesive, and just luxe enough. It showed a ranged from great knits and casual separates to fantastic night on the town looks, and kept the surprises staggered throughout.Oh hey guys...
high five?

C'mon, you can't leave Mr. Lippes hangin'!