Fast in Slow Motion

About twice a year I go through my closet and blindly throw in everything that I haven’t worn in recent months. I work swiftly, like ripping of a bandaid. I only keep what I really love. I had decided to donate this old denim jacket that I hadn’t worn a long time. In this month’s issue of Vogue there is a whole page chronicling how cool denim vests are. I remembered that I had a denim jacket so I did a little DIY denim project. I never wore this denim jacket because the sleeves were so tight that they made my arms feel constrained.

I love layering. That’s why my favorite season for fashion is the fall. I enjoy adding different materials and texturs to make an outfit look different each time. I really like how the vest turned out.

I’d cordially like to introduce to you my new favorite boots of all time. I’ve been wanting a pair of motorcycle boots for years. I’ve been very particular on what exactly I’m looking for. They must be chocolate brown, they must have a buckle, I wanted a zipper down the front, and really wanted a tongue that I could fold down. These are awesome because I can wear them completely zipped up or only halfway and fold the rest down. I got them at a vintage store. I have the hardest time finding boots in my size, 40. I can’t wait to wear them in the fall with skinny jeans and big comfy sweaters.

Also, I got bangs! I love the versatility they give you. Sometimes I brush them straight across or a side part them to the side. Othertimes I completely pin them back to get out of my face. They’re fun to play around with and give me the freedom to coordinate them with whatever style I’m going for. The other day I wore a 1950’s vintage dress and I curled them under and did retro waves.

I have some jeans that I haven’t worn in ages since we’re in the middle of a record breaking heat wave. I’m thinking of making some daisy dukes out of them. Or jorts. Whatever you want to call them. Jorts reminds me of skorts. Like the old school uniform I used to have to wear. The skirts with the built in shorts. Remember those?

I managed to get lost on the wrong subway. I was going uptown on a subway, that diverged to Queens.  I got off in a deserted station. The sound of breaking glass made my heart beat faster.  No one was on the streets.   Rain was whipping into me and sand was blasting my face.  I could not find the entrance to go into the opposite direction.  I stood on the corner and felt like I was in the Twilight zone.  Finally, a man emerged from the gust of wind and he told me how to return to uptown.  I was trying to connect with Cassidy, so that we could see the new Target, that was opening in Harlem.  The people have been so helpful.   Two boys led me to Pleasant street in Harlem.  Ladies help me carry the cart full of groceries up the many steps in the subway’s exit.  Their smiles have graced the good feeling, that I have while I wander the streets, when I am not in Cassidy’s apartment.

Yesterday I was sitting in class, bored out of my mind. The professor talks more than she listens and refuses to see other people’s point of view. I was sitting there “taking notes” aka making a to-do list of things I needed to get done when I got a text. It read, “Hey, sorry last minute but 2 extra tickets to West Side Story tonight. Want them?” That’s the thing I love about New York. When you least expect it, something spontaneous happens that turns your whole day around. I rushed home after class, picked up my Mom, and went straight to the theatre to make the 7PM curtain. Doesn’t that seem so early for a Broadway show to start? Most of them start at 8PM.

I wore my favorite new gray silk shorts. I’ve been really anti-dresses lately. Shorts are so much more comfortable and designers are getting really creative with the material they use. Shorts used to be associated with only denim, khaki, or cargo. Now there options that are appropriate for more dressy occasions. I especially love them when they’re high waisted it feels very 1940’s.

Afterwards we were starving. My Mom has been dying to go to the brand new Shake Shack that just opened in midtown. It’s near my apartment and the outside was completely boarded up while they were building it. One day, the boards were taken down and the huge sign was unveiled. I had been walking past the construction sight for over a year and had no idea that they had been building a new Shake Shack location!

Since West Side Story starts earlier than all the other shows we beat the after theatre crowd for getting in line. By the time we had sat down to eat the line stretched half way down the block.

I was absolutely thrilled to see that their meat is completely organic. There’s no added hormones and the animals are all farm raised. I love hamburgers but rarely eat them because I refuse to eat them unless it’s natural beef. The chocolate shake is free trade and they got the vanilla coffee beans from the Amazon Rainforest. I like what Shake Shack is supporting and will definitely be going back.

emmy-leee:

iwantmybearsuit:

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My Mom has been visiting for the month of June. Yeah, a whole entire month. Admittedly, I was a little nervous to how that would go. Sometimes we bicker, she asks a lot of questions, and she gets lost all the time. Also, we haven’t spent that much time together since I was in high school and that was three years ago. However, I have to say it’s been awesome. You know those erotic video stores on 8th Ave in midtown? My Mom wandered into one the other day when she saw the $2 DVD sale not realizing it wasn’t Blockbuster rom-coms like she had in mind. I was in hysterics when she retold the story. I had my Women in French Lit class today and called my Mom on the break. I told her to get the N downtown train from 49th Street and get off at Astor Place. Then, I met her and we went to Sushi Lounge on 8th Street and Ave A. Yes, my Mom is wearing a silly bracelet. I’m so tired of those things. They have infiltrated every last person I know.

Afterwards we walked around the East Village talking about all the places we used to go in 2007. My first apartment was on 10th Street and 2nd Ave. This was my first neighborhood and I try to remember what it was like to be 17 on my own for the first time in a city like New York. My quintessential uniform for scorching hot summer evenings would be the following:

While she was taking this someone called, “Cassidy!” My Mom snapped the photo the second they called my name. It took me a split second to register who it was before I burst into this expression…

As if you can’t tell, I really love running into old friends. It makes this big old city feel that much smaller. Matty is a professional ballet dancer who studied at Alvin Ailey. I met him through my first boyfriend in New York City. Matty is credited as being the first to ever bring me to the holy mecca that is Beacon’s Closet.

Alright gentleman, listen up. Ever want to surprise your girl and make her jaw drop? This little florist on 1st Ave and 10th Street sells red rose petals in a bag. For get this, $2. For the price of a can of soda you can forever give her the opportunity to say, “There were red rose petals everywhere!” I’m sure it goes without saying to tell you the scent was out of this world. Let’s call it “Romance in a Bag.”

I couldn’t help but stop into the East Village Urban Outfitters. I always find the most amazing deals every time I step in there. Today they were having the $5 sale. Every time I go into UO I look for the same necklace. They never have my astrological sign. I was practically convinced they didn’t carry mine after all. Yet today right as I was walking out, I found one. A lonely little Sag plate all by itself. I love it.

The rose garden in the cemetary across the street at the historic church on the corner of 10th Street and 2nd Ave.

Finally, no jaunt to the East Village is ever complete without a stop into Yogurtland. I recommend the cake batter fro-yo mixed with red velvet and a dash of pistachio. Then, top it with cookie dough balls, gummy bars, and endless sprinkles. It really is heaven. I fill it to the brim every time and never pay more than $4. Cheap is good, I definitely prefer it to Pinkberry which is three doors down.

As Tom Petty sings, “There’s something good, waiting down this road, running down a dream.” This is my opportunity to remember all the aspects of New York that will forever be embedded in my heart.