london!

Hello from London!  I ended up coming a few days early because of Hurricane Sandy.  American Airlines was kind enough to offer a complimentary flight change to get me out of Boston a few days early, so I left Saturday evening rather than Tuesday.  I only made the call Sat afternoon, so I ended up having to pack frantically, didn't exactly sleep on the plane, and then spent an agonizing morning trying to stay awake and do work in the lobby of the Grosvenor House (a JW Marriott!) until our room was ready.  Turns out the Patriots were here too - as in, staying at the hotel - for their game at Wembley Stadium.  We didn't see them, but ran into lots of Pats fans.  Kinda felt like we were still in Boston.  

I'm in the room doing work today, feeling mostly recovered.  I popped out quickly to grab a snack and some wine (for later), and checked out the views along Park Lane.  It's nice out today!  Hopefully weather will cooperate this week, although I think it plans to rain. 

four eyes

In addition to the sheers and curtain rings, some new glasses were waiting for me when we returned from Barcelona a few weeks back.  Since I already have two pairs which I wear regularly, I didn't feel the need to get too spendy with new glasses, but had an allowance through vision insurance.  Free money?  Yes please.

So I decided to go with Warby Parker since they have frames + anti-reflective lenses for a whopping $95, plus some sweet deal of free shipping, free returns, and home try-on.  I had done home try-on a few months back but didn't loove anything.  I also checked some out in person when they had a corner in Stel's (which has since closed).  Then they came out with their fall collection and I pulled the trigger on the Linwood in striped chestnut.

bathroom art {updates}

Yes, I'm still struggling to get those last things done to call the bathroom facelift "complete".  But we finally have pretty stuff in frames hanging on the wall:

We have had these for months.  Finally in early September I took action and made some trusty catalog templates to test out different configurations (like we did with the tv).

patatas bravas + skirt steak {barcelona inspiration}

One of our favorite things from our Barcelona trip (which I will write about soon!) was the food.  We had tapas at several places, and an item we tried and loved multiple times was bravas.  While we had them in many formats, they were generally some form of potatoes (fries, tots, roasted) with a thick & spicy tomato sauce and an amazing garlic aioli dipping sauce.  Another favorite was a simple skirt steak, topped with essentially the same tomato + garlic aioli combo.  

So of course we had to try to recreate this deliciousness.  


I was surprised at how amazing this was, even on our first try.  It was a little labor intensive for just one meal (yes, we ate it all in one sitting) but it was so worth it.  In order, here's what we did:

mini house

 

Mini House, designed by Swedish architect Jonas Wagell
(image 1: Andy Liffner, image 2: Lars Petter Pettersen)

This is mini-sized prefabricated house so cool!  I'm especially loving the horizontal slats and the generously-sized porch.  While I don't think it's a realistic primary residence for the majority of people due to size (hey, we just have too. much. stuff.) and durability, it's a really cool concept for a vacation getaway or a guest house. 

Even though we can't get it in the U.S., I think this is a great inspiration piece for how small spaces can be utilized.  Too bad I don't have a back yard.  Or an amazing lake.  I wonder how much it costs.  And I wish they had photos of the interior..

full article and more photos here

life lessons from gordon dean

1. Never lose your capacity for enthusiasm.
2. Never lose your capacity for indignation.
3. Never judge people. Don’t type them too quickly. But in a pinch, never first assume that a man is bad; first assume that he is good and that, at worst, he is in the gray area between bad and good.
4. Never be impressed by wealth alone or thrown by poverty.
5. If you can’t be generous when it’s hard to be, you won’t be when it’s easy.
6. The greatest builder of confidence is the ability to do something - almost anything - well.
7. When confidence comes, then strive for humility; you aren’t as good as all that.
8. The way to become truly useful is to seek the best that other brains have to offer. Use them to supplement your own, and be prepared to give credit to them when they have helped.
9. The greatest tragedies in the world and personal events stem from misunderstandings. So communicate!

originally read here