Autumnal Eye Candy

For weeks now, I've resisted the urge to put bowls of candy corn on my coffee table and mums on my front doorstep.  Even though it's still warm outside, I've exercised self-control and kept my sweaters and suede boots at the back of the closet for a few weeks more.  

But, just because I'm keeping my fallaphilia at bay until late September doesn't mean I can't swoon over a few yummy orange rooms:

Dreaming of La Dolce Vita

Maybe I've just watched Under the Tuscan Sun a few too many times or perhaps it's the fact that I've been teaching about the Italian Renaissance for weeks now, but lately I've been dreaming of moving to Italy.

I've fantasized about what it might be like to bid arrivederci to California and settle down in Firenze or Lucca or Arezzo for an extended stay.  What is it about those rolling green hillsides and crumbling buildings that makes Tuscany so intoxicating, so romantic? 

Feeling Chili?

As the temperatures start to drop (who am I kidding, I live in SoCal?), you will find yourself in want of belly-warming, slow-cooking foods.  

What is more perfect for football-filled Saturdays than a big bowl of chili with all the fixins?

Flowers for Friday

Oh, flower section at Trader Joe's, you got me again.  Rather than leaving with one little measley bunch of flowers, today I walked out with dahlias, freesia, celosia and calla lillies.  

 With all of these flowers in a gorgeous deep fuchsia shade, I couldn't resist getting all four petite bunches.  When I got home, I made them into one big effervescent pink bouquet.

Dress like a Lady

Last night, I spent a couple of luscious hours fawning over 726 pages of the September Vogue.  In past years, I found myself questioning the selections of Anna Wintour and her team.  How many American women would really wear sequined harem pants or 6 inch purple platforms heels?  

But this year, I was delighted to discover the abundance of classy, elegant, lady-like looks à la Grace Kelly or Jackie O or Audrey Hepburn.  

Gone are the grungy military and unstructured bohemian fashions.  Fall this year, at long last, requires dressing like a lady and flaunting feminine curves. We can thank Michelle O(bama) and the gals of Mad Men for this return to refined, polished styles.

Words to Live by

Today, break your routine.  Do something out of the ordinary.  Pave yourself a new road (and if you have a fabulous pink car to drive on your new road, may I be the first to borrow it?).

Bygone Summer

A Weekend Wish

Flowers for Friday

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck." -Emma Goldman

This Friday, rather that choosing my usual array of brightly colored flowers, I was craving simplicity and elegance.  

What is more classically beautiful than a bunch of ivory roses?

A Bermudaful Visit

"Bermuda is the right country for a jaded man to "loaf" in. There are no harassments; the deep peace and quiet of the country sink into one's body and bones and give his conscience a rest." Mark Twain from Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion

Each time we mentioned to friends or family that we were traveling to Bermuda, they would inevitably get the island confused with its tropical cousins, the Bahamas or Barbados.  Aside from the mysterious Bermuda triangle, most Americans know very little about this incredibly isolated island in the Atlantic. 

Feeling Autumnal

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
- George Eliot


Even though we scarcely have distinct seasons here in Southern California, there are a few subtle cues that summer is giving way to fall.  

Soft light in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris

Cocktail du jour

Clink, clink, clink.  Hear that?  That's the sound of melting ice cubes, making room for whiskey.  That's the sound of Sunday night.

Sunday evening used to mean Sopranos or SATC, but now Sunday nights are for Mad Men.   And, how can you possibly watch Don Draper's suave antics without a retro cocktail in hand? 

One of my favorite classic cocktails is the Whiskey Sour. 

At the Movies: Going It Alone

Too often in our American society, we view being alone as something unfortunate or melancholic, a result of circumstance not of personal choice.   But even for the most social butterfly, a regular bit of alone time affords some great little pleasures and an opportunity for introspection.

A testament to my introversion, one of my very favorite activities is going to the movies solo.  So, about once a month, I choose a film and set out to enjoy my movie "me time."  I adore browsing fandango to see what chick flicks or art films are playing at the local theater.  I carefully check out the reviews and labor over my choice, not wanting to waste my two hours on a cinematic dud or downer. 

Words to Live by

New York State of Mind: Part 3-The Sights

Whether you live in Southern California like I do or in the Big Apple, locals often whine about the annoyance of tourists.  They wander confusedly through the subway or clog up scenic routes with their rental cars.  They look through the viewfinder of their cameras rather than looking at the pedestrians they're about to collide with.  They eat at the overpriced, under-tasty joints advertised on billboards and brochures.

New York State of Mind: Part 2-The Art

Detail of Mark Rothko at MOMA

Alabaster vase in the Egyptian wing at the Metropolitan Museum

Henri Matisse in the Met

New York State of Mind: Part 1- The Food

Well, darlings: I'm back!  I've just returned from a lovely long getaway to New York City, followed by a trip to Bermuda.  Rather than trying to condense my visit into one post, I am going to stretch out the highlights of my vacation.  

With my mascarpone-cherry rice pudding at Rice to Riches

Because my family makes plans for lunch whilst eating breakfast and plans for breakfast whilst eating dinner, I shall start with the most important aspect of any vacation: food, glorious, food.


In Manhattan, attempting to choose a restaurant is like telling Carrie Bradshaw to choose only one pair of Manolos: a virtual impossibility.  When the family and I were faced with this daunting task, we turned to New Yorker friends and guidebooks and Zagat searches.  

I was determined to chart every breakfast, lunch, cupcake snack and dinner according to our itinerary for the day.  But, as those of you who travel frequently know, wandering off course sometimes leads to the most delicious discoveries.  

An Afternoon at the Museum

It takes a truly stunning exhibition to captivate me.  Art history is my job.  And as with all jobs, we often become calloused by our day-to-day activities, no matter how much we adore them.  So on Saturday, I was unexpectedly spellbound by the Jean-Louis Gerôme exhibition at the Getty Center.

Newsworthy

One of my favorite lazy weekend pastimes is reading The Wall Street Journal. You may not immediately think of the Journal as a source for aesthetic inspiration of gustatory delights, but inside its pages are often elegantly written articles on wine and travel and art.  

Weekend Wishes

May your weekend be filled with enchantment and wonder.  Surround yourself with color and life and love.  Indulge in some sweets. Frolic. Laugh. Forget subtlety: go big.