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Let the Pregginess Begin

14 Dec

Yes that’s right…  I’m officially looking and feeling like a pregnant woman now.  My belly is quite large (though I’m still finding it rather cute thus far) and I’m starting to get some pain in my lower back and butt so I’ve definitely got a little pregnant waddle going on. Oye.  I still have three months to go!  That’s a little bit scary.  The subway routine is definitely getting a bit tougher these days.  I surprised myself while huffing and puffing up the stairs at the 2nd Avenue stop yesterday. Lately, in fact, I’ve grown fond of skipping the stairs altogether and opting for the elevators (at those stations that are blessed with elevators).  Here is a photo of me from this past weekend – there’s no mistaking it now… this girl is PREGO!

Meanwhile, this little guy is kicking up a storm, which I really love.  I love lying on the couch with my hands on my belly and feeling him move around.  It’s such a trip.  Though he’s funny… he’s just like me.  He doesn’t like to perform on demand.  Every time my mom is around for a visit and tries to feel him kick, he stops and stays really still.  Stubborn little guy.  Also when I go for ultrasounds and they try to get a good photo of him, he hardly ever cooperates.  It’s ok though.  Between Adam and his filmmaking and me and my photography – he is going to be the most documented kid ever… a camera in his face at all times!  I’m happy to give him some space while he’s still in the womb.

As for me, I’ve been keeping busy with several projects.  This past Friday I did a photo shoot with my friend Yvonne.  She’s moving to LA (sniffle sniffle) and looking for a new job and wanted some portraits for her online portfolio.  We played around with some natural light indoors and outdoors as well as some shots in front of a seamless white backdrop paper I bought from Adorama.  She got her makeup done ahead of time and brought a few outfit changes and we had a blast!  She was a great model – and I definitely feel like I’m getting more confident shooting people, which is good.  I will post a selection of my favorites next week after I spend this weekend going through the hundreds of photos we took!

Then Monday I did some shooting with my friend Amie.  We fashioned a little makeshift studio in my apartment with some lights and the seamless white backdrop.   Amie’s friend  recently launched this awesome men’s sock and accessories line called hook + Albert so we were doing some product shots for him – testing out our skills in that department.  It was fun to experiment with a new type of photography and I do think the photos came out pretty good.  Here are a few examples.

The biggest challenge in this exercise was perfecting white balance/color temperature (easy intro to white balance here if interested).  Because we are advertising a fashion product, I thought it was quite important to get the colors as true to real as possible.  You know when you buy something online and then when you see it in person it’s a totally different color from what was advertised?  I was trying to avoid that.  So, while shooting, I spent a lot of time customizing the color temperature and playing with the degrees Kelvin (more info on color temperature) in the camera settings until it looked perfect.   After uploading the images to Lightroom on my computer, the color looked totally different from how I saw it on the camera monitor.   And now, the color looks different once again after uploading the images from Lightroom to WordPress!  I’m not sure if this can be totally perfected as I believe different monitors will often have different settings – and you can only control the settings on your own monitor.  But I’m going to do a little more research into this area to see if there is anything else I should be doing to improve my results.  More on that to come.

So, I’ve been busy busy – but alas – I feel like my body (which has been tremendously cooperative throughout this pregnancy so far) is starting to tell me to slow down a bit and chill the hell out.  I am approaching the third trimester (Saturday is the official start for me).  I have this tendency to push myself and run around all the time but I’m picking up on the signals lately and I’m thinking… I better rest while I still can!  Right?  So my new goal is to start taking it a little easier and get my body feeling as good as it can in preparation for what’s to come.   Hopefully I’m capable of slowing down – it might take a little self-control. :)  I’m looking forward to a nice quiet holiday week this year, which will help.  We’re keeping it low key – just hanging out at home, enjoying the last of our vacation time with just the two of us.  I’m thinking some good food, some good movies some Rummy 500 and LOTS of relaxation (plus, maybe a massage).  Sounds good right?

Anyway, have a great Wednesday everyone!  Thanks for visiting.

xo

And we’re back…

7 Dec

Greetings on this rainy, gray Tuesday.  I’m feeling very sleepy today – I am writing this while sitting at my computer cloaked in my zebra snuggie.  Oh how I love my snuggies.  Later this afternoon I’m going to head over to Buy Buy Baby to do some research on baby products.  I spent the entire flight there and back from The Bahamas reading the book Baby Bargains, which helped me narrow down the things I think we need for the little guy’s arrival.  Now it’s time to go check out this stuff in real life.  There is really so much to learn about!  Craziness.

But before I go, I’ll fill you in on the rest of our trip to the Bahamas for the 2011 Bahamas International Film Festival.  There were many positives and negatives about this trip.  I’ll start with the positives:

  • I managed to get a little (really… only a little) sun and the weather was pretty nice (high 70′s to low 80′s most days with some wind and clouds)
  • We met a lot of great contacts in the film world and talented people in general – many of whom live in Brooklyn!  And I’m sure we’ll keep in touch and get to know these people even better in the future.
  • We met Zoe Kravitz and enjoyed her interview while she was being honored as the “BIFF 2011 Rising Star”.  She was super poised, adorable and lovely and now I’m going to keep a look out for her work in the future.
  • We reunited with friends we met at the festival last year – one of whom is a local Bahamian and got us off the resort one afternoon and showed us a bit of the local flavor.  Here are a couple photos from our outing:

    A Statue in Downtown Nassau

    A ruined old building in downtown Nassau

  • Adam was a juror for the “First Look” competition, which included both short films and features made by Bahamian filmmakers.  This was a highlight for me – as I learned a lot about Bahamian culture and about the true essence of the Bahamas.  My favorite feature film in this category was called Amos Ferguson – Match Me If You Can and told the story of one of the Bahamas’ best known local artists.  Amos Ferguson seemed like a special soul and was a talented and passionate painter and I am glad to have learned about his story.  I found this film to be really touching and enlightening.  Here is a NY Times article about Amos if you’re interested in learning more.  And here are a few of his paintings:

 

Now… the negatives.  Although we were grateful to get away for a few days – this was really primarily a work trip vs. a vacation.  It didn’t exactly have that “baby-moon” vibe I was looking for.  And now – forgive me while I rant for a few minutes about the Atlantis Resort.

A view of the Coral Towers at the Atlantis Resort

Here is where The Atlantis falls way short in my book:

  • The resort is monstrous and has the vibe of Vegas, Disney World and a Cruise Ship mixed into one…  not exactly my cup of tea.
  • The food is TERRIBLE.  Yes… they have some nice dining options like Nobu and Mesa Grill – but dining here costs a fortune and the quality is not nearly as good as it is in their NYC counterparts.  For less expensive dining options, you basically have lots of fried, processed, gross food – that still costs way too much (we’re talking $40 for BREAKFAST!).  And then – everything closes at weird hours, so we often found ourselves with no available options except for the overly priced and totally disgusting room service (or mini bar, which we frequented due to a lack of better options.  I ate granola bars for dinner more than once).  To give you an idea about how terrible the food was – our favorite thing to eat during the entire trip was the movie theater pizza, which was supposedly from Domino’s, re-boxed and sitting under a heat lamp.  Yes – it was a sad state of affairs in the food department.  Hell… I was on vacation and lost two pounds.  That’s never a good sign for me.
  • There is NO relaxed vibe in this entire resort.  Although there are at least ten different pool areas – every single one of them comes with a DJ, who pumps bass-heavy music all day long.  I went in search of maybe one adult-only, quiet pool (I know – I’m getting old) and nope… there aren’t any.  So I sat as far away from the pool as possible next to a waterfall, which helped to drown out the sound of the music and the DJ so I could fit in a little reading.  Actually – I even called the front desk and complained on Saturday morning as we were awakened at eight-thirty am by bumping beats coming from the pool area closest to us.  Eight-thirty am?  Really?  We had been enjoying sleeping with our door open up until that point – listening to the waves and the palm trees blowing in the breeze but that joy died on Saturday morning.

So here’s what I’m thinking… If I never stay at the Atlantis resort again… that will be fine with me.  However – I am totally interested in experiencing the authentic essence and spirit of the Bahamas and I’d love to return for another visit – this time, departing from Nassau immediately and making my way to another island.  That being said – the festival was super generous and we were very honored to be asked to return this year.  And, as it was last year, the people we met and connections we made was truly the best part.

Now – I’m off to Buy Buy Baby!  Wish me luck.

I’m officially freaking out!!

29 Nov

Hi All -

I have wonderful news to share today.  Adam (the hubby) and his awesome first feature film (Hello Lonesome) just got nominated for an Independent Spirit Award!  He is one of five films nominated for the John Cassavetes award, which is awarded to a film that was made for under $500,000.  I’m seriously pretty much bouncing off the walls right now!  I’m just so happy for him.  He works so hard and has so much passion and GUTS!  I’m just thrilled he is getting a little extra recognition.  You inspire me darling (I know you’re reading).  I’m SOOO proud of you! 

Meanwhile, these awards are no joke.  They are held in LA and are televised nationally and the nominees are real deal… talented actors, directors, producers, etc.  Of course, they are held at the end of February and I will be nine months pregnant, so I’m going to have to watch on TV from my couch as Adam walks the red carpet!  Hopefully the excitement won’t send me into early labor!

So that’s that.  What a day it’s been.  I was shlepping around all day getting ready for a trip we’re taking tomorrow to The Bahamas.  Adam got invited back to the Bahamas International Film Festival – this year as a juror, so of course, I’m tagging along.  It’s a working “baby-moon” and probably our last before the little one comes along in March.  So for the next few days, we’ll be enjoying some sun, relaxation and LOTS of movies.  I’ll bring my computer along and will try to blog at least once from the festival.

Meanwhile, how was everyone’s Thanksgiving holiday?  We had a wonderful dinner at my sister and brother-in-law’s home in New Hampshire.  I actually think the food hit an all-time high this year.  Here’s Dan (the bro-in-law) w/our twenty-five pound super juicy turkey!  That’s one big bird.

Dan and his Turkey

In addition to the turkey Dan also made root veggies, stuffing and these totally ridiculous twice baked potatoes filled with sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon, and everything else yummy.  This was a Thanksgiving first:

Twice Baked Potatoes before they go into the oven for the second time around...

My mom helped out with a delicious butternut squash soup, cranberry sauce and last but definitely not least – the sweet potatoes with toasty marshmallows on top.  YUM.

I, of course, brought a cheese plate.  This year I went international with the following assortment:

  • La Tur – a soft and luscious mixed sheep’s, goat’s and cow’s milk cheese from Italy – total crowd pleaser and the favorite of most of the guests
  • Boucheron – a semi-aged goat’s milk cheese from the Loire Valley in France.  It comes in a log with a nice creamy layer just under the white bloomy rind.  I usually like this cheese very much – but I actually found this particular piece to be rather dried out and not at it’s prime.  That’s why it’s always best to have cheese cut fresh for you (if possible) or to go to a market where you know the turnover is high.
  • Manchego – a firm and buttery sheep’s milk cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain.  This one is fairly snacky and mild.  It was my dad’s least favorite of the four – but it was a few other peoples’ favorite.  Cheese love is an individual thing!
  • Uni Kaas Reserve Aged Gouda – this is one of those super caramelly, butterscotchy cheeses from Holland.  It is made with cow’s milk, has a darker orange color and has those little yummy crunchies.  I love this type of cheese – this tended to be the second favorite after the La Tur.

The cheeses were a hit (as always) – but every year we kick ourselves after because it’s impossible not to fill up a little on cheese beforehand (it’s just too yummy to refuse) and with a meal like this (including a twenty-five pound turkey) – you need all the room you can get.

Anyway – it was a lovely week with family and friends and it was Adam’s and my FIFTH Thanksgiving together.  I couldn’t believe it.  My how time flies.  Next year we’ll have an additional little family member joining us.  It sure is crazy to think about!

So – bye for now.  I’ll post in a couple days from the Bahamas!

xo

 

A Little Show & Tell…

11 Nov

Happy 11/11/11 everyone!  I’ve always thought of eleven as my lucky number – so according to my calculations, today should be a blockbuster day!  Anyway, while I was on hiatus from blogging, I was also busy working on some fun projects.  Back in May, we shot that music video for Jones Street Station with Danny Pudi.  Here is a dorky picture I posted from the shoot.  I don’t think I ever showed you the finished product though, so here it is!  I didn’t shoot video on this project – but all the stills peppered through the project are mine!  Enjoy.

In July I did a fun photo shoot with our friend Dave.  Here are some of my favorites:

He’s a sexy dude – right?  All of the photos were taken inside our new apartment or outside in the neighborhood – and all with natural light and my Rebel T2i (along with some killer L Series lenses).  It’s exciting how much great light we get in our new space!  I’m planning another photo shoot with my friend Yvonne in the next few weeks.  We’re going to experiment with a seamless white backdrop (never done that before) – should be interesting.

Then – in August I helped out my friend Zita with her own blog project.  She has embarked on a year-long vegetarian cooking endeavor, where every week for a year, she will cook one of her favorite vegetarian recipes for the camera, edit and then post the video to her blog – Unnecessary Sweetness.  It’s a LOT of work!!  Zita actually told me that one of the inspirations for this project was my 365 photo project – so of course, I was eager to help a blog sister out.  This video was one of her first and was shot in our kitchen.  I was one of two shooters and I was using the Canon EOS 7D.  Most of the close-up work you see is mine.  I find it really fun shooting close-ups on food and cooking!  (makes sense I suppose).  By the way – this hummus and the couscous were both totally fresh and super tasty!  I highly recommend trying them out.

And last but not least, in October I worked with a small Bodega team on a web video for Microsoft Internet Explorer.  Adam directed and I shot.  We did 90% of the shooting in our apartment – all with natural light.  It was a blast!  Here is the video… I am very proud of it.  And Microsoft totally loved it!

This type of filming is fun for me – because it’s really just like photography.  I set up the shot just like I would set up for a still photo – looking for the light and the best angle.  I’m not moving the camera  lot – although I have been practicing a bit with finding the focus in shot (you can see in that final shot of the sparklers).  I’m going to start watching movies that are known for outstanding cinematography so I can study up on different shooting styles.  I do have a fantasy that one day I’ll shoot one of Adam’s movies.

Anyway – that’s what I’ve been up to lately (among other things).  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend if I don’t talk to you before.

Me and Cheese… A Love Affair

10 Nov

You all know by now about my love affair with cheese.  Well, whenever we’re traveling – if there is any destination having to do with cheese (cheese maker, farmer’s market, cheese shop, cheese plate, etc) – you know it makes my itinerary.  So, while visiting Banff during our trip to the Canadian Rockies last month, I read about the Grapes Wine Bar at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel.  It was highlighted as an excellent place to enjoy a delicious cheese fondue.   So of course… it became a priority.

Now – while a good cheese plate always makes me “ooh and ahh” with delight, a well-made cheese fondue takes that delight to a whole new level.  It’s the melty factor.  A piping hot pot of bubbling melted cheese set in front of me?  I mean – is there anything better in the world?  I’m salivating thinking about it.

Anyway, my dear husband gets a kick out of watching me eat delicious yummy things (especially cheese).  I guess I am rather expressive when I am in food ecstasy.  During our fondue adventure in Banff, Adam took a little movie of me, which I will now share with you.  I hope it puts a smile on your face.

nell’s kitchen

7 Nov

So I told you already that I’m getting all ‘nesty’ lately right?  I’ve been doing lots of cooking and organizing and even a little baking.  Last week I set a personal record for myself.  I cooked five nights in a row.  I seriously don’t think I’ve ever done that.  In fact – from Sunday brunch to Friday lunch I didn’t eat one meal outside our home.  That’s honestly kind of a big deal for me.  I think part of this is stemming from being pregnant.  I’ve just felt sort of cozy at home lately and it’s been fun trying out new recipes and playing with all our new kitchen gear (wedding presents that spent nearly two years at my parents house in Massachusetts because of our previously teeny apartment).  Besides that – our new neighborhood (though completely pretty and awesome) is sort of lacking in delivery options.  Back in the East Village – we had our regular spots that we craved every week.  Delivery was quick, cheap and easy – and we had just about any type of food available to us nearly twenty-four hours a day.  Fort Greene definitely has some good restaurants – but the delivery scene just isn’t really doing it for me quite yet.  So Adam and I have started trying to recreate all our favorite restaurant cravings at home.  It’s become a fun little project for us.

Craving #1: Quality Pizza

It all started with pizza.  For my twenty-eighth birthday party, I hired my good friend (and pizza maker extraordinnaire) Mark Bello to help me put together a pizza and beer pairing party at Beer Table.  Mark has since opened his own pizza-making school in the Lower East Side called Pizza-a-Casa.  He is a pizza guru and all around foodie and I am oh so happy to have him in my life.  Anyway, I got hooked on the fun of making pizza, so I registered for a pizza stone and peel as shower gifts, but I didn’t really end up making much use out of them over the last couple years.  Then recently, I discovered frozen pizza dough from Fresh Direct.  They deliver the dough in four little balls to you frozen and you just thaw it out the night before you want to make a pizza.   Thanks to my work with Mark, I have all these recipes and ideas for yummy pizzas to make at home – so lately Adam and I have been on a pizza-making kick!  With a few simple ingredients: good quality fresh mozzerella, pizza sauce (been using Mario Batali’s jarred pizza sauce from Fresh Direct – but simple good quality San Marzano crushed tomatoes from a can will also do the trick), fresh basil (growing on my windowsill), thinly sliced sopressata picante and a little freshly grated Pecorino Romano for a finishing touch (especially over the crust) and there you have it – a restaurant-worthy, super yummy pizza.  Plus – making it at home is so much fun!

Meanwhile, Adam got inspired by a breakfast pizza recipe he found on Smitten Kitchen, so he adapted it to our liking and it has since become our new favorite breakfast treat.  Last weekend (and the weekend before), we invited over friends and made breakfast pizzas – topped with scallions, chives, garlic, bacon, some ricotta, fresh mozz and then finished with eggs and some fresh-grated parm.  Stupendous!  Here is a picture of one of Adam’s specialty breakfast pies:

Adam's Breakfast Pizza

The eggs on this one were a little over-cooked… it’s more delicious when the yolks break and run over the pie – but you get the idea.  Isn’t it pretty?

Craving #2:  Indian Food

I often get a craving for super flavorful, creamy, spicy, saucy Indian food.  However the Indian delivery in this neighborhood has left me rather cold.  I mentioned in a previous post how I picked up some Indian spices recently so the other night, with my friend Robyn coming over for dinner, I decided to make an Indian menu.  I used a Cooks Illustrated recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala and a recipe for Matar Makhani – Green Peas with Creamy Sauce from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick & Easy Indian Cooking book.  Alongside I made a simple basmati rice to soak up the yummy sauces.

Well – I must admit that the preparation for this meal took me quite a while (overall prep and cooking time was about three hours!) – however, it was SO worth it!  The flavors were incredible!  And it was rather pleasing measuring out all the beautifully colored spices and ingredients into my little ramekins (you know I have a love for ramekins).  These were the measured out ingredients for the peas… I had even more measured out for the chicken!

Ramekins a plenty

This meal totally rocked!  Here is a photo of the finished dish (with peas on the side):

Chicken Tikka Masala & Green Peas with Creamy Sauce

Robyn showed off her fancy rice presentation skills by using a ramekin to shape the rice and sprinkling a little cilantro on top – another win for ramekins. :)

Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice

Craving #3: Turkey Burgers

When we lived in the East Village, we’d order from Westville almost every Sunday.  We loved the turkey burgers there  - though the turkey burgers from Zaitzeff also became a go-to for variety.  We’d both order turkey burgers with cheddar cheese, fries and then a side of hot buffalo sauce for dipping!  Now that we don’t have Westville or Zaitzeff around, I’ve started making weekly turkey burgers at home and I must say – I am beginning to master the recipe and they have now become just as satisfying as our favorite delivery burgers.  I once again use a Cooks Illustrated Recipe from the Light cookbook!  Instead of 93% lean turkey meat – I usually just buy ground turkey breast from the farmer’s market and keep it in the freezer until the night before I’m ready to cook the burgers.  Turkey breast can get dry – but this Cooks Illustrated recipe adds in ricotta cheese (use part-skim to make it lighter), which makes these burgers juicy and moist!  I add shredded cheese to each burger for the last five minutes of cooking, which melts the cheese perfectly – and I often serve these burgers on Bay’s Multi-Grain English Muffins.  Now we just need to figure out a hot sauce that completes the dish… I’ve heard Franks or Crystal tastes the most like buffalo sauce.  I’ll keep you posted on that.

(Sorry – no pictures of the turkey burgers just yet – but I’ll be sure to take one the next time I make them).

Meanwhile, other cravings on our list include:

  • Thai – I’d like to master a yummy Pad Thai recipe along with a curry (perhaps Masaman?).
  • Ramen – we sorely miss our visits to Minca in the East Village and are interested in trying out Ramen at home!
  • Mexican – I’d love to make Huevos Rancheros and Chilequiles Verdes
Oh – and I’ve decided, with so much cooking going on lately I should get an awesome “nell’s kitchen” sign made to hang up in our kitchen.  Right?  That thought makes me happy.

Three and a Half Months Later…

1 Nov

Well hello my long lost friends.  Happy November 1st.  I know – I said “blogging will resume” back in July and now it’s almost four months later!  I owe you all a big apology.  I dropped off the face of the earth without so much as a warning or a note that I was alive and well.  But here I am… alive and well and I’ve missed writing and connecting with all of you.  So I hope you forgive me and my crappy communication.

Meanwhile, I have exciting news to share, which I hope makes up for my long absence!  Adam and I are now the proud parents of this little guy:

Baby boy at 16 weeks

That’s right!  We’re having a baby.  I’m currently five months pregnant and feeling great!  The pregnancy has been quite smooth thus far – absolutely zero morning sickness, energy’s remained pretty high and as far as we know – baby is doing swimmingly.  For the most part, I haven’t been turned off or turned on by any weird foods – actually… just milk.  I’ve been craving tall glasses of cold milk, which is definitely a new thing for me.  Though you all know my obsession with dairy products, so I guess it’s just heightened a bit.  Other than that, I’ve been eating like I always eat – while trying to keep it a little healthier by cooking more and adding in extra fruits and veggies.

In this ultrasound photo the little babe’s chilling upside down.  He looks pretty happy – sort of looks like he’s smiling right?   And just look at that spine and those skinny little legs!  CRAZY!  At our twenty-week scan last Wednesday we saw him sucking his thumb and just this past week I’ve started feeling him moving around a little.  What a trip.

As for me, I’m totally getting all ‘nesty’ already.  I’m finding myself cleaning, cooking, organizing and doing more laundry than I’ve ever done in my life.  I’m enjoying settling into our new home in Brooklyn and my domestic goddess is emerging in full force.  I even bought myself some Indian spices the other day and experimented with a lovely silken chicken recipe from Madhur Jaffrey. It came out delish!

Now to fill you in on the last few months… I’ve worked on some fun projects and actually earned some money, which is quite exciting!  I did some head shots, worked at a commercial casting session and shot my very first spot as Director of Photography (with Adam directing) for a major brand (I’ll post it on the site and give more details once it’s officially wrapped up).  We also took a fantastic trip to the Canadian Rockies, Calgary and Port Townsend, WA for the Port Townsend Film Festival, where Hello Lonesome took home a Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature – HOORAY!  Here are some of my favorite photos from our trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks:

Crazy-looking flower

Another crazy-looking flower

Glacial Lake along Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper

View over Jasper after taking the gondola up and up and up

Adam daydreaming on top of the world

Adam and me on top of the world

What's up chipmunk?

Canoeing on Patricia Lake - Jasper

Dragonfly

Maligne Lake - near Banff

Lake Louise

View from the Teahouse above Lake Louise after hiking 3.5 km straight UP! The tea was gooood.

So friends… that’s all for now.  I am glad to be back and hope you are all doing well!  Feel free to say hello.

xoxo -

nell

Goodbye Shana

6 Jul

Yesterday I received the heartbreaking news that my friend Shana passed away from a drug overdose over the weekend.  We hadn’t been in touch for over a year, but throughout college (which was sort of a difficult time in my life), she was my roommate for two years, my confidante, my support system, my escape, my partner in pot-smoking, time-wasting, road-tripping, music-loving, Sex & the City watching, Indiana exploring and much more.  She was one of my closest friends.

Shana was a southern girl from Atlanta with a big personality.  I met her freshman year in the dorms (McNutt) at Indiana University.  At first I was intimidated by her – she was loud and boisterous and commanded attention at all times, but by the end of freshman year we were  tight and we made the decision to live together the following year (along with three others – a random mix and a funny little family).

Though Shana consistently maintained a happy carefree exterior, with her “y’alls” her loud laugh, her pet names for friends and her amazing ability to speak the fastest gibberish I’ve ever heard, deep down she had a sadness that those closest to her knew about. Sadly, she never loved herself as much as she should have.

School was not her thing.  She made a habit of skipping classes and never took it seriously.  I always tried to get her on the right track.  I would bribe her to come study with me at the library.  We would sit outside on the library patio, take Adderall, drink coffee and smoke cigarettes while we studied,  but of course we ended up gabbing more than studying.  She had better things to do than study. She always just wanted to have fun, which I guess is why she was so much fun to be around.

I remember driving around Bloomington in Shana’s light blue old-school Beamer, with the windows down, sunroof open, listening to music.  Shana loved music.  In fact, a lot of the music I have in my collection today came from her.  For me, the best way to immerse myself in happy memories of Shana is to listen to the songs that we always listened to together.  Hearing them now brings me back instantly – to her car, with Bowie (her dog – yes, named after David Bowie) in the back seat – on the way to the dog park. These songs will always make me think of Shana and the happy times we shared together, land-locked in Indiana.

MIX FOR SHANA: 

Shana was adored by a lot of people – even if she might not have realized it.  Unfortunately she never believed in the potential we all saw in her.  I wish she had.  It’s such a waste.

For all of you who knew and loved Shana like I did – I know we’re all thinking about her and remembering the fun times we had together back in Indiana.  I feel so sad I never got to say goodbye.  So, cheers to Shana – loyal friend, old soul, best mom to a puppy I’ve ever met, music-loving, sassy, ballsy, hilarious, gibberish-speaking, badass, big-hearted Georgia girl.  You took off way too early and you will be missed by many.  xo

Happy 4th!

4 Jul

Since you’re all probably grilling out and visiting with friends this afternoon in preparation for the fireworks, I’m going to save my Monday dish for tomorrow.  So enjoy yourselves everyone!  Happy 4th and see you tomorrow!

The week in review – nell’s dish style.

23 Jun

Good morning all.  It’s a foggy day here in NYC and I’m excited to be sitting at my desk, drinking a big mug of coffee and dishing.  Lots to talk about today – but we’ll start with an awesome video that Adam posted on his blog the other day.

Great right?

I do several of these things on a regular basis…

  • drink coffee
  • make lists
  • sing in the shower
  • get lots of rest
  • write down ideas
  • listen to new music
  • be open
These are the ones I want to work on most: 
    • Get away from the computer
    • Collaborate
    • Allow yourself to make mistakes
    • Break the rules
    • Stop trying to be someone else’s perfect
    • Clean your workspace
    • Finish something!! 


A good list of goals to focus on this summer!

Meanwhile, I’m sure you’ve noticed I haven’t been blogging as much lately.  Since the end of my 365 project, I’ve been finding blogging everyday (or almost every day) to be a bit overwhelming.  I’d like to have a little more time to digest my days/moods/experiences and process more what I want to write about before I share with all of you.  I’m also trying to work on some other projects and it’s amazing how fast the days just zoom by!  Plus, I’ve been feeling the need for a little more structure and regularity lately.  Therefore, I’m going to try a new blogging schedule – twice a week – on Mondays and Thursdays.  Then you’ll know when to look out for my next dish and I’ll have time to marinate my dishes so they’re even tastier!  Sound good?  
Anyway, last week was a productive and exciting week.  Tuesday night I had the first of twelve group workshops (via conference call) with my career coach Maggie Mistal.  The “Mastermind Program” is made up of a small diverse group of clients whom Maggie has worked with in the past.  The purpose of the group is to “help us master the right mindset to enable, encourage, and support us in achieving our career goals.”  We’ll go over things such as:
  • Regaining focus
  • Envisioning success
  • Committing to follow through
  • Asking effectively for what we want
  • Redefining how we spend our time
  • Transforming our inner critic
For the first call we had to prepare a kind of elevator pitch – who we are, what we do (or what we want to do) and what we wish to get from this group.  Of course, this gave me anxiety!  Anytime I’m asked “what do you do?”  or even “what do you want to do?” for that matter, I get stressed out.  Right now… I do a little of everything!   What do I want to do?  I’m not really sure… a lot of different things!  I remembered a book that Maggie had me read when we first started working together:

When I read it the first time I had an “AHAH!!” moment.  Other people make this work – amazing people… like Benjamin Franklin!  Here is an excerpt from the book that I enjoyed:

Just for fun, let’s imagine that Ben [Franklin] is alive today.  How might his friends and family react to his revolving-door approach to careers?  Having played his key role in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, they might expect him to head for a tenured position at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.  But what about his strange fascination with kite and key experiments?  Fine, his wife might say.  Why don’t you go to MIT and pursue a nice stable career in science?  But no, it turns out that Ben also wants to go abroad to study French culture and language!  Okay, his friends suggest,  he can work for the United Nations or Berlitz.  But wait – he also has plans to design a post office, invent bifocals, and print his Poor Richard’s Almanac!  Looking at Ben’s life this way reminds us that a life can look scattered and fragmented while it’s unfolding but still go down in history as a smashing success.”

Isn’t that fun?

I digress.  Anyway… for my elevator pitch I decided to say that I was in transition career-wise, but I want to create success for myself (including financial compensation) as a Renaissance Soul.  I want to continue to explore many of my interests – writing, photography, helping people, food  - and I want to be able to make an income in at least one of not all of these areas!  That way I can keep things fresh!  I can take opportunities as they come – as they excite me!  I can use many of my skills and talents simultaneously!  I can grow in multiple ways, cultivating different aspects of my personality!

I was afraid I would come across as unfocused and flaky with this response, but when I was finished talking two of the other group members instantly spoke up with support saying they felt the same way!  One of them actually told me I was her “Renaissance Soul sister”!  It felt good.  I felt accepted and energized to follow my non-traditional all-over-the-place dreams.

The Mastermind group will continue to meet once a month for an entire year.  I am excited for this… it is a tool which will keep me on track, focusing on what I want out of life and giving me the guidance and support to help me get it.  Our first homework assignment is a fun one that I will have to give much thought to.  You can participate too if you like.  For next month I have to come up with a list:

  • five things I want to DO
  • five things I want to HAVE
  • five things I want to BE
all before I die.
When I complete my list I will share it with you!  I’d love for you to share yours with me as well. :)
Last week was also a big week for photography.  On Friday I photographed that anniversary party I was hired to shoot.  It was definitely a challenge but I’m satisfied with the job I did. The most difficult part was adjusting for the environment.  When I first arrived, the entire wall of windows made for beautiful natural-light photos of the flower centerpieces, the cake, the room, the hors d’oeuvres, the details. Then all of a sudden the small room was very crowded with people hugging and chatting – this made it difficult to get great people shots – but I did my best.  I always feel a little weird interrupting conversations to get a photo… but that’s part of the job! Then, as it got dark outside, the room shifted to being dimly lit with candlelight and very warm-toned overhead lights and the wall of windows was now a nuisance as it reflected everything indoors.  TOUGH!  I used my new flash, I did my best and I took a LOT of photos.  Of course, there are things I’d do differently next time – but that’s the whole point! Everything’s a learning experience.  Here are a couple of my favorites (haven’t delivered them to the client yet… so no people shots).
On Saturday I did another entire day of shooting with my friend Amie.  She brought home gorgeous hand-woven textiles from her last trip to Guatemala and made dozens of beautiful one-of-a-kind pillows out of them.  She wants to create a website to display and sell her pillows so we were shooting individual pillow shots as well as scenes (like out of an Anthropologie catalog).  This proved to be quite ambitious and after an eight-hour shoot day, we were a little disappointed with what we were able to get done.  After reviewing the shots however, we both felt better as we got plenty of GORGEOUS images and again… we learned a lot for next time! For example, I want to get a cable to hook up my camera directly to my computer so we can see the images larger while shooting. It’s too difficult to tell what you have when viewing it only on a three-inch monitor on the back of your camera.  Looks like another trip to B&H is in my future!

So all in all a very productive week.  I’ve become even clearer that shooting events is not my favorite thing – though now I feel more confident and it’s definitely a good way to  make a little money!   I can probably cross ‘wedding photographer’ off my list of possible careers though.

I definitely enjoyed my shoot with Amie even though it was extremely hard work.  I loved collaborating with her!  It was fun having a stylist and being able to focus on getting the shots.  I felt good as I realized that I actually have learned a lot over the last year.  I was pretty impressed with my knowledge of the advanced camera settings… and I was using Adam’s 7D, which is even more complex than my Rebel!   Anyway, it was exciting and Amie and I are already planning the next shoot.

Blah blah blah… sheesh – when I post less frequently I have so much to say!  I hope I haven’t bored you to death.  So I’m putting my new blog schedule in effect.  Stay tuned for my next dish on Monday and have a fabulous weekend everyone!  I’m going to be enjoying a weekend-long bachelorette extravaganza so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write about. :)
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