If You Build It...

Sometimes, my life really does seem straight out of Sex and the City...

And then there are the Saturday nights spent assembling furniture.

Ugh, THIS is why I loved living with Kurt for so long! I hate the time it takes to decorate a place, to find the right thing for every little nook and cranny...the process of realizing some of your old stuff just doesn't fit, what to keep, what to chunk, blech. And I have a studio, for heaven's sake! Nevertheless, I want it to look "just so"...and I needed a lingerie chest for pure functionality.

After several weeks of online perusing, I decided to order this Hemnes chest from Ikea. It was only $150, plus $50 for shipping.

It arrived today, which was perfect, as I'd devoted the weekend to finalizing my decor anyway. Unfortch, as soon as I started to read the instructions, I saw this:

I could only assume it meant, "Hey, dumbass, don't try to put this together by yourself."

So, I laid out the pieces and texted good ol' Adam to see what he was up to.

He had dinner plans but offered to drop by on his way. Such a sweetheart! By the time he got here, I was well underway, and he put in a good 45 minutes to help me get it upright by the time he left.

As evidence of how hard he was working, he even got a little workman's butt going on... (He told me to take a picture of it because he could feel the breeze!)

He left for dinner at about 8:30, and by around 10, I was done! It was nowhere near as frustrating as I'd worried it might be. I am fascinated by some of the ingenious hardware they use and wonder how much of it is unique/proprietary. I wish Uncle Howard had been here, as I think he would approve of the fact Ikea even seemed to use real wood! The overall quality is actually much better than I anticipated.

Here's a look at the finished product. I like it so much, I'm not sure I will be able to keep it tucked away in the closet, which was my original intent.

Woot! Woot! When I started the project around 7 p.m., I posted this on Facebook: Ikea dresser assembly: to be filed under "wow, I'm really proud of myself" or "gee, that was a stupid idea"?

I got some very funny comments, but I'm tickled to say the answer was definitely the former! Big shout-out to Adam for helping me out and to my cute neighbor Cyrus for bringing down a beer in the home stretch.  

Pasta Tasting at Babbo

Leigh Ann was in town for work recently, and I got to join her and some friends for dinner at Babbo. We splurged and did the pasta tasting menu with wine pairings -- which I pushed for and Leigh Ann admitted was an AWESOME call...

First up:
Black Tagliatelle with Peas and Castelmagno
Ribolla Gialla, "Adriatico," Bastianich 2010

"Casunzei" with Poppy Seeds
Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva "Mirum," La Monacesca 2008

Garganelli with "Funghi Trifolati"
Langhe Rosso, Brandini 2010

"Agnolotti al Pomodoro"
"Renosu," Dettori 2004

Pappardelle Bolognese
"Vespa Rosso," Bastianich 2010

Cool Lime Mousse with Warm Honey, Pine Nuts and Huckleberries
Soave Tardiva "Colli Scaligeri," Filippi 2006
This might sound weird, and the picture doesn't do it justice, but it was to die for! 

Babbo ended the meal with an awesome gesture. Instead of giving us all the olive oil rosemary cake with olive oil gelato that was on the menu, they brought us a sample of the entire dessert menu. Classy! We passed these around the table, but first I got everyone to take a photo! I can't recall what they all were...there was a ricotta cheesecake and some kind of panna cotta. I included the ones I can find on the website.

Toasted Almond Cake “Sottosopra” with Buttered Rum Gelato and Amarena Cherries 

Pistachio and Chocolate Semifreddo

In short -- one of the top 2 or 3 meals I've had in NYC, for sure!

Old Friends, New Memories!

First stop in Durham for my 15-year reunion weekend: lunch at Bullock's. YUM! The waitress let us taste test the two types of barbecue...

My plate looks almost healthy with all of those green veggies!

Not pictured: the chocolate pie and banana pudding I insisted we get for dessert. Awesome meal.

Sadly, the Friday night party was far less stellar. Afternoon flights from NYC were delayed by weather, but whatever the cause, attendance was lame, and the event was just not all that fun. I was also in a bit of a funk because my hot date Barb had to stay in Dallas at the last minute to care for a very sick daughter. Nevertheless, Caroline filled in as an awesome weekend sidekick!

Nothing says "get your groove on" like a gym full of strollers...

Saturday was glorious! Caroline and I started it off with a long walk around the trail at the Washington Duke, then we met the boys for brunch at Fosters, where I ran into my friend Rebecca from NYC! She was in town to run a race in Raleigh. What you can't see here is that we are basically wearing matching outfits...

We headed to campus to walk around and enjoy the perfect Carolina spring weather...



Missing my bench-sitting buddy Barb outside of House P...

The gala on Saturday night was an absolute blast. Duke does such a fabulous job with reunions...they construct an enormous climate-controlled tent, complete with the fanciest port-a-johns you've ever seen. It's like a really big wedding reception, with an awesome band, great food, and sections for all of the classes there for the weekend. Turns out my friend Shaun from Charlotte is on the same reunion cycle I am!

We all danced up a storm...with the charge led as usual by Angelina. By the end of the night, our dogs were barking, but I got a compliment that made those tall leopard heels totally worthwhile! 

Sunday morning brunch in Duke Gardens was the perfect weekend finale. The weather was straight out of a campus catalog. One of the things I love about reunions is getting to know friends of friends...people I didn't connect with during our four years on campus, but people I would have bonded with sooner if circumstances had brought us closer. 

A good time was had by all...including Buddy!

Back to School Shopping

I should probably embarrassed to admit how much time I spent shopping for my 15-year college reunion. Instead, I'll just take you along for the ride!

The big challenge was what to wear for the "Big Dance" on Saturday night. I actually purchased this dress at Michael Kors because it was 50% off, but it seemed a little too cheesy to wear Duke blue...

Here's a look at everything unpacked at the hotel in Durham. The navy wrap dress was from Banana Republic last spring. I LOVE the Marc Jacobs striped top, which I paired with jeans, the grey leather jacket and nude heels on Friday night. Sadly, no photo of that, but the top will doubtless get a lot of airtime this summer. (In fact, it already made it out to Mexican drunch last Saturday.)

This navy lace Elie Tahari top was a Bloomingdale's splurge, and a gal actually stopped me as Caroline and I walked into the gardens on Sunday to ask where I'd gotten it! Can't wait to wear it again.

The night after I bought the blue dress at Michael Kors, I stumbled upon a fabulous sale at Ann Taylor, where I found a knock-off of this DVF dress that Kate Middleton wore to Zara Phillips' rehearsal dinner... I'd been obsessed with the original and tried to find it last year, but no luck. 

It doesn't look green in this pic, but trust me... Best of all, it was a DEAL! 

As you can see, I paired it with a punchy orange clutch (purchased last spring in D.C.) and new leopard heels. Woot!

Leigh Ann's friend Andrea said someone told him the goal of a reunion outfit should be "telegraphing how fabulously successful you are without looking snooty." HA! I was going more for "sexy but not tragically trying too hard." 

I'll let you be the judge of whether I hit the mark.