2009 was a great year of food!

Here are my top dining experiences in 2009 (in no particular order)

Graffiti – New York, NY
Unique and fantastic dining experience. Every dish we consumed was perfectly prepared (in a kitchen smaller than my bathroom nonetheless). Make reservations as this hidden gem only has 4 tables.

Max Londons – Saratoga Springs, NY
Best Brunch North of Manhattan and dinner is equally as good!

Daniel Boulud Brasserie – Las Vegas, NV
A delicious culinary journey in a beautiful setting. When in Vegas, DB is a must! 

The Penthouse – Santa Monica, CA
I felt like a VIP all night.

The Wine Bar – Saratoga Springs, NY
A personal favorite, one of the few local restaurants with a unique and ever-changing menu.

Tavolo – Scotia, NY
This re-invented favorite is a must for the locals! Old meets new (what could be better).

Megu – New York, NY
I consider my visit to Megu a once in a lifetime experience.

POV at the W – Washington, DC
Worth the trip for the view alone, and the food and drinks weren’t too bad either.

Metropolitan – Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake had some great dining options, who knew?

Fleur de Lys – Las Vegas, NV
The calming décor and delicious food are a winning combination.

Cookshop – New York, NY
Simple ingredients with flair. Food was perfectly prepared and delicious.

Stripsteak – Las Vegas, NV
Hands down, best steak ever. One of the few times I overate. What could beat truffled mac & cheese?

2009 was a party for my palate, so stoked for 2010!

As I have mentioned there is the tradition of the bride and groom going from table to table offering guests a delicious pastry or cookie.

So often at a wedding there are friends and family that have been rendered less than mobile by age and it means an awful lot to them to be visited by the bride and groom.

Here I have such a situation with a wedding at Saratoga’s Auto Museum in the State Park.

If this wasn’t touching enough on it’s own the wedding itself was held at Saratoga’s St. Clements Church which would be less than notable if the service wasn’t officiated by both a Roman Catholic Priest and a Rabbi!

Growing up outside of Utica, NY – I was used to interfaith marriages (such as my own parents); but I never thought I would live to see this sort of ceremony preformed. It was truly touching.

Score one for Upstate NY!

There are several photos of the ceremony in the opening slide show at www.eliasweddings.com; it still makes me all fuzzy inside.

Groom offering Italian Sweets

After speaking to Stacy I was surprised to find that I had recently photographed some of her work without my knowledge.

It was a wonderful wedding of two recent Harvard graduates at the Saratoga Spring’s National Museum of Dance.

I had to move fast as the cookies and cannoli were gone in a heartbeat.

I don’t think it’s appropriate to eat my clients food but you know I certainly was tested!

Check out this little gallery of Stacy’s brilliant work or better yet call her up and order yourself some of the best cookies this photographer has ever had the pleasure of tasting.

http://www.photoshelter.com/c/eliasweddings/gallery/Wedding-Sweets-Saratoga-National-Museum-of-Dance/G0000EGQzeJcP2Ww/

Guests enjoy tri-color cookies

By DREW KERR, PostStar.com, link to original post

Cross-county skiers at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs will have a little less room to roam this winter.

Parks officials said this week that cross-country skiing trails that traditionally ran over the Spa Golf Course were fenced in and re-routed around fairways so that the fragile turf underneath would no longer be damaged by snow compacted by heavy ski traffic.

Skiers and snowshoers have had relative freedom on the golf course in previous seasons, but officials said repairing the damage had become a perennial problem they now want to avoid. “It kills the grass, just kills it, and there’s no way to get it back,” said Alane Ball Chinian, a regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation who works out of Saratoga Springs.

Signs detailing a new 3.7-mile winter trail route and showing pictures of damage done to the turf in past winters have been installed to announce the rules change to park patrons. The decision to keep some parts of the state park off limits comes as officials continue to invest in upgrades at the 9- and 18-hole golf courses within the park.

Skiing and snowshoeing still remains largely open in other areas of the park, where there are a total of around 12 miles of trails. The situation at the state park is unique because it is one of the few locations in the area where skiing occurs in a golf course setting.

Josh Milton, the director of recreation for Glens Falls, said cross-country trails that run through Cole’s Woods at Crandall Park don’t leave any trace after the snow melts and the ground thaws. “We don’t have any problems at all because all of our trails are in the woods where it’s nothing but dirt anyway,” he said.

Growing up outside of Utica, NY where it seemed that everyone’s grand parents or parents were fresh off the boat from every corner of the world I was exposed to a great deal of wonderful sweets.

My oma and the half dozen other Elses and Ilses made wonderful German cookies while my father’s medical office would pile up with wonderful fried chrusciki from generous patients hailing from Poland and the Ukraine.

The light colored fried cookie drenched in powdered sugar would snap in your mouth then melt away into a sweetness that is only properly enjoyed by a child.

Of course there was also the legendary Florentine Pastry Shop ( 667 Bleecker Street, Utica, NY 13501-2403 -(315) 724-8032)

where the cookies were piled high and the crowds were out the door. I still remember the little colorful fruits made of marzipan that I crave to this day.

Let’s not also forget the Lebanese and Greek Baklava and other philo dough/ pistachio treats drenched in honey.

Certainly as good as all of the various countries sweets were in my opinion no one surpassed the scope and quality of the Italian’s.

The Italian tradition of offering a wide variety of these sumptuous sweets has now extended itself to weddings outside it’s North Eastern roots

and has become a popular wedding feature.

Recently the New York Times wrote an article and media presentation on the subject focusing on Pitsburg, PA;

www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/dining/16cookies.html?_r=2&ref=dining .

Luckily we have our own extraordinary Italian pastry maker here in the Saratoga area.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Stacy’s  Sweets for several years and I have never been disappointed!

As sweet of a person as her cookies, I can say with out hesitation that Stacy makes the best cookies I have ever had;

I back this up with the fact that I myself am a paying customer.

Working out of her own home kitchen Stacy and her children produce a variety of sweets that are second to none.

Stacy can be reached at  Stacy Kielb, Owner, Italian Sweets by Stacy, (518) 424-4066

pine nut cookies

Well Christmas is nearly here and I am getting in the spirit hanging ornaments around the log cabin.

Hanging ornaments reminded me of the beautiful little details Classe’ Catering did at the Canfield Casino a ways back.

I thought these simple gold ornaments were a perfect compliment to the Canfield Casino’s aged glory.

Classe’ Catering has been exceeding my expectations over and over lately; they can be found at http://classecatering.com/.

This isn’t wedding related but I’m certainly more than just a wedding photographer and it’s Christmas time.

Our town of Schuylerville is around 300 years old and like most of the area the Europeans settlers to first occupy the area were Dutch.

St. Nic knowing our heritage is still sure to come and visit the good children of out little town on the banks of the Hudson River.

This visit is the sort of thing that makes the Saratoga Springs, NY area so awesome!

Check out the gallery of the Saint’s visit at http://www.daelias.com.

12/20/09 – Just ran into this article expanding on Saint Nicholas. You have to love the old European stuff! I was raised on lots of this scary “German” stuff as my dad is from Hamburg.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/children-wallow-fear-darker-santas-sidekicks/story?id=9386980

St. Nicholas visits Schuylerville

If you are reading this you can see I’m just putting together the blog.

In the mean while please check out my and Charl’s actual Saratoga Springs wedding photography site at

www.eliasweddings.com

When I write wine blogs, it’s hard to imagine getting an opportunity to stand with my subject’s maker face to face. Last night I got that chance, and it was a proud moment for me. Not only did it feel great knowing that my reviews were appreciated (or even noticed), but seeing Joseph’s passion first-hand validated why I love what I do.

Carey and I were wait-listed in the beginning of the week for the wine dinner, and when hope was all but lost, I got a call saying room had become available for us if we were still interested—yes.

We arrived almost on-time with minimal stress, even though Carey came straight from the gym and had to get dressed in the backseat of the car—and walk down an icy hill in high-heel booties on the coldest night of the year to date, at which point she said to me, “I’m a little bit mad at you right now.” I rebounded by quickly handing her a glass of Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, our first wine of the evening, from the fantastic Amber Knolls Vineyard, Red Hills Appellation, Lake County California.

Joe is a winemaker who cares deeply about his wines, “they are my babies.”  That is something I can really appreciate having a blog baby and all. His family of wines, 6 strong, showed great cohesiveness in a tasting format. Pairing beautifully with foods, and transitioning easily without an ugly duckling upsetting the flock. The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is hands down my favorite of the bunch, and a wine I wrote about long before I got another chance with it on this night. I bet Joe could work magic with red Zinfandel…

The evening’s menu was fantastic—every course better than the last.

We were just talking about how much we’ve loved eggs incorporated into entrees lately. This course did not disappoint. A hot, runny egg with delicate greens and sizable lardons chunks that felt like traditional French bistro fare consumed on a side street in Toulouse somewhere.

By this course—nirvana.

Impossibly delicious; and while tempted to refuse for my belt buckle’s sake—voraciously consumed.

01/02 Frozen Assets 5K Snowshoe Race 5K Canadice NY 585-690-2090 www.roadsarepoison.com

01/17 Mendon Ponds Winterfest Snowshoe Races 5K, 10K Mendon NY 585-690-2090 www.roadsarepoison.com

01/30 Cast A Shadow Six Hour Snowshoe Race And Relay 6H Greece NY 585-690-2090 www.roadsarepoison.com

02/07 Saratoga Winterfest 5K Snowshoe Run/Walk 5K Saratoga Springs NY 518-581-1278 www.runwmac.com

1.  More than half of Mass. schools fail to meet new federal standards

2.  Room and coed board

3.  Housing authorities’ programs promote academic progress

4.  How much to help with college applications

5.  Harvard ignored warnings about investments

6.  For Forest Kindergartners, Class Is Back to Nature, Rain or Shine

7.  City’s Schools Share Their Space, and Bitterness

8.  At This School, It’s Marijuana in Every Class

9.  To Pay for Longer School Days, Some Parents Try Raising Money

10.  Mayor Says Student Scores Will Factor Into Teacher Tenure

11.  Instead of Firing Coach, Northeastern Ends the Program

12.  U. of Nebraska Defeats Tighter Limits on Stem Cell Research

13.  A Crown Jewel of Education Struggles With Cuts

14.  Ideas for Cities: Edible Schoolyard

15.  Gateses Give $290 Million for Education

16.  Clemson Gets Money for Study of Wind Energy

they (who are they, anyway?) say once you get your first tattoo, fuhgeddaboutit. like flies on shit–wait, that’s a terrible analogy–strike that. reverse it. like poppin’ a pringle, once you start, you just can’t stop. eh. i didn’t believe it. this so-called tattoo addiction must be a farce. it took me 28 years to get this virgo sign inked on the back of my neck (hizzle was in attendance and squirming more than me, i think), i can make it through life without another.

busted for writing on the benches at DA's, local 'toga dive bar.

famous last words, right?

last may, i got my 2nd tattoo at mooncusser in provincetown, mass, with the ex and two of the most amazing women you will ever meet. (hi donner and laura!) it was there i protested, “i only want one more. no, i swear–just one more.”

tired from an early drive to p-town, hence the disheveled appearance.

but now here i am itching for my 3rd (fleur de lis for my cajun heritage) and thinking about the perfect 4th (outline of a dove) and 5th (equality sign). ruh roh.

i’ve got tattooation, and i’ve got it bad.

earlier this week, i droned on in a post about my ears being blessed with the sweet sound of william fitzsimmons. from there, a twitter exchange began between myself and two other ladies, janey and mia, a blogger, writer and interview-extraordinaire for all things music, tattoos and lesbians (read some of her interviews and hilarious quips here: afterellen.com and chicagonow.com — am i missing any?)

what i found out during this exchange: apparently, i have a penchant for bearded men. and thus, this week’s top 5 bearded beasts of wanderlust was born.

joe cocker :: delta lady

i would be remiss to not include the legendary joe cocker. my absolute number 1 of his, is delta lady. in fact, if ever my buds and i step inside the infamous dive bar tin-n-lint here in ‘toga (THE very spot where don mclean wrote american pie. no foolin’.), i MUST play this song on the jukebox. if someone threatens to leave before it plays, all hell breaks loose. viva el cocker!

ray lamontagne :: jolene

(come on, you obvy knew i’d include him.) jolene was my initiation into ray. it is what made me fall madly in musical love with him, and i will never forget how it hit me right in the ticker with such a powerful thud. i mean, who writes this beautifully? “a man needs something he can hold onto / a 9-lb hammer / or a woman like you / either one of them things will do.” STOP IT.

the black keys :: things ain’t like they used to be

this song really needs no explanation. maybe it’s the emotion behind his voice, maybe it’s just the incredible way he manages to soothe a broken heart. all i know is that i play it over and over and over and …

bob schneider :: a long way to get

i posted this song before, i know. but yes it’s so good, it deserves a double-take. when i think of schneider, i think of home. and i think of her. but mostly, i think about how much life–even at 31–is left to live. this song just manages to keep my head above water, and there are many days when i need that as much as leo needs to drop boonies in eli’s box immediately upon arrival at aunt carey and uncle robby’s.

the black crowes :: nonfiction

if i would be remiss not to include joe cocker, i would be a bloody fool to leave out the man, chris robinson. this beauty of a song makes me want to lie down in the warm summer grass and make out between sips of beer.

enjoy, friends. and happy friday.

I recently had a family portrait session at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. We picked a nearly perfect day — there was almost no wind and the sun was fairly low in the sky. So, I found a nice backlit location, set up a large light, and went to work. Thanks to Katherine and her family for letting me make pictures of them! (Thanks especially to Conner and Aiden for helping me haul gear. I really appreciate it.)

Here’s one of my favorites from the shoot …

Katherine and her family will see the rest of the photos in a week or so. So, check back in a bit to see more …

Mia B.  Love became the first black Mayor elected in Utah, November 3rd.

Congrats to Mayor Love!

Hat Tip – NewsOne

On 11/03/09 several African Americans won mayor’s seats in several US cities while David Bing retained his seat in Detroit. Take a look at 6 of these new mayors by using the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Happy November!! Did everybody enjoy their extra hour of sleep last night? I know I did. I went to sleep super early last night and slept for about 12 hours! Crazy!!!

Since I haven’t posted since Friday (bad blogger), I have a lot to tell and show you guys. I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I’ll try to keep it fun and interesting

At the end of my last post, I  promised a trip to the diner with Jeff for lunch and then to Barnes and Noble to study. That’s exactly what we did. At the diner, I ordered a Spinach, Tomato and Feta Egg White Omelet with Dry Rye Toast

As always, the portion was humongous. I ate about 1/3 of the omelet and half of the home fries and toast. I love home fries. It’s really dangerous.

At Barnes and Noble I had a  unpictured nonfat Cafe au Lait  with two pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup at the cafe. Fancy, fancy. For those who are wondering, a cafe au lait is basically a latte without the espresso. It’s half steamed milk and half coffee and it’s wonderful!

Jeff and I were pretty clueless about what to do for dinner. We finally decided on an Eating Well recipe for Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes. The recipe was really simple and actually has you bake the potatoes in the microwave, not the oven. We followed the directions exactly and only omitted the sour cream and scallions.

We had salad on the side

And for dessert?

Dark Chocolate dipped in Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB

Yesterday morning, I spent an hour on the crossramp watching One Tree Hill and America’s Next Top Model. I love watching TV while working out. I hardly watch it at home so it’s a nice stress reliever. When I got home, I had my standard bowl of banana oats with PB on top

Many of you have commented about the inclusion of Chocolate Soy Milk in my oats. This is a fairly new thing for me. I picked up a carton of chocolate soy milk at the store the other day because I’ve always been curious about it. Honestly, I like vanilla soy milk much better. The chocolate soy milk just tastes too fake to me. I’ve been using it because I don’t like to waste things but I won’t be buying it again. Chocolate Almond Breeze, however, is a  whole other story. I would strongly recommend using half vanilla soy milk and half chocolate almond breeze in your oats. It’s amazing!

Anyway, my parents came up to visit yesterday and despite the cloudy skies, we decided to go to Saratoga Springs.

I love Saratoga! It’s such a cute little town and is only about a half hour from our apartment. The stores were giving out candy to Trick or Treaters so everyone was dressed up for Halloween. We had a lot of fun and the rain held out until we sat down for dinner.

While we were walking around, I snacked on half of this bar

We decided on a restaurant called Wheatfields for dinner

We started with a basket of bread served with garlic butter

I had two small pieces. Jeff and I ordered a cup of Tomato Parmesan Soup to share

It was really good.

I was torn about what to order and finally decided on the Radiatori Pesto. I substituted the Radiatori pasta for  Whole Wheat Fusilli

This meal was fantastic but I immediately wished I had ordered something else. It was too simple. I could have made it at home. So while it tasted wonderful, I wish I had ordered something more creative and unique.

After dinner, we headed to Uncommon Grounds for coffee

I ordered another Cinnamon Cafe au Lait with skim milk. Unlike Starbucks (which uses a syrup), Uncommon Grounds actually had brewed cinnamon coffee.

They also had Cinnamon Apple Bagels and I bought one for breakfast this morning.

Of course, my night wouldn’t have been complete without some sort of dessert so after my parents left, Jeff and I ventured to Emack & Bolio’s. I ordered a kid sized cup of the Raspberry Truffle.

Jeff ate the cone

Twas yummy.

This morning, I headed to the gym for a 1/2 hour on the crossramp. When I got home, I pulled out my Cinnamon Apple Bagel from Uncommon Grounds

Doesn’t it look amazing!!

I toasted it and topped it with PB & Co Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB and heated banana slices.

Tell me that this doesn’t look like a bagel burger:

It was so good! I want to buy a million more.

Like my last one, I wrote this post in shifts. I started it before I left for work and am finishing it now at 12:47am. My shift at work was 6-12am. Ridiculous, I know. I am way too tired now to continue talking about today’s eats. So until next time!

Do you work weird hours for your job or do you have a 9-5 type of job?

Since I am working in retail now, I had to help with a holiday floor set tonight. I don’t mind it because I work with a ton of nice, fun people.

Have a great Monday!! <3

Upstate NY in Autumn

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Waxing Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Uranus Retrograde
Rainy and cool

I have SUCH a headache today. Where’s the Excedrin?

Monday was great fun, as I mentioned yesterday, and where I was, the foliage was at its peak.

I was out of the house yesterday by 6 AM, a little later than I wanted, because I was having trouble — again — with MobileMe. I’m really starting to think it was a huge waste of money. It does not do what it’s advertised to do. I can’t even get what I need on the iDisk, much less access it from anywhere. Unless Apple fixes it, I’m dropping it when the year is up. The computer’s working well again, but the MobileMe isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, so to hell with it.

Anyway, yesterday was kind of a gray and drizzly day. I’m curious why the NY metro area weather folk are NEVER right, when the Boston area weather folk are ALWAYS right. The NY weather folk promised it wouldn’t start to rain until late afternoon. At 6 AM, it was raining. Later in the day, as I had the Boston station on (which comes in clearly in VT, although you can’t get it in the MA Berkshires), they were spot on. Same with traffic. The NY traffic reports are always wrong, while the Boston/South Shore/Cape are always right.

We travelled up I-87. It was early enough to be fine. We hit Saratoga a little after 9 AM and, of course, headed immediately to Mrs. London’s for coffee and an almond croissant. Which was just fabulous.

And inappropriate customer requests never cease to amaze me. A woman of certain age, obviously wealthy, and her it’s-easier-for-me-if-I-never-argue-with-her husband entered. She asked if they served breakfast. The woman behind the counter said they don’t have eggs or anything like that, but there’s a variety of pastries and croissants and things that people eat for breakfast. The woman re-iterated that she wanted eggs. The woman behind the counter apologized and re-iterated that they didn’t have them. The woman said, “I don’t think you understand me. I want EGGS.” It took a minute for all of us to realize that she expected the woman behind the counter to go out to some other restaurant and bring back her order so she could eat it at one of the tables in this particular restaurant, rather than actually going to the restaurant that served what she wanted.

Uh, no.

After our snack, we walked up and down Broadway. I stopped at the Adelphi Hotel to take some photos. It’s closed for the winter, but I want to set a piece in a place inspired by the Adelphi, so I photographed some of the architectural outer detail and tried to photograph some of the interior through the glass. It looked very lonely, all closed up, and I wished I was a multi-millionaire so I could buy it, winterize it, and bring it back to its glory.

We stopped at Borders to pick up a couple of things — I love the fact that it was packed before even 10 AM on a weekday.

Back in the car, we headed up past the track (some horses are still training there, but racing’s done until next summer) and to the public gardens at Yaddo.

Yaddo is one of the premier artist colonies in the world. I hadn’t realized it backed up to the racetrack on one side — and I-87 on another. Several people whose work I respect swear by them with an almost obsessive fealty. I’d had a couple of negative experiences with their administrative staff about a dozen years ago, and scratched them off my list, but I’d always been curious about the facility. I hadn’t realized that the gardens were open to the public until recently, so I figured, why not take a look?

The gardens were being put to bed for the winter, and those working there were quite lovely and welcoming. I bet the gardens are stunning in the summer. And there are some lovely places tucked away that seem quite inspirational.

The main house, as you can see by the photo, is rather imposing. Lovely, but imposing. And there are signs and gates everywhere to keep the public away from the artists. Or is it the other way around? On the one hand, I appreciate that — you don’t want people tromping around peering in your windows or knocking in your door while you’re working. That’s not the point of a residency there. On the other hand, all those signs gave off a rather zoo-like vibe: “Don’t feed the artists. They’re more dangerous than they look.”

So that was really, really interesting. And the grounds are great. I took a lot of photos I can use in my work — there’s stagnant water with stuff sticking through it and downed trees and rushing streams and cairn-like creations — really fascinating. I’m glad I was there. I’ve never heard anyone complain about the noise from the track or the highway, so I guess the studios are well-insulated. Seeing the property, I understand the place in a different way. Funnily enough, it makes me not want to apply there. I think I have too much of a life, in a way, built on my time with various projects over the years, and it would be hard to stay in my studio and work — I’d feel like I wanted to go here and there doing all the things I usually do in Saratoga that make the place so special to me. There would be just as many distractions for me as I have at home, which cancels out the purpose of having a residency. I think it’s a great place for artists to work if they’re from somewhere else — it would not necessarily be the right place for me to work, because I’d be so tempted to be out and about instead of inside working.

I had hoped to see a friend’s exhibit that was outside of Saratoga — and I couldn’t find the turnoff. I felt like a total moron. I had the directions — I just couldn’t find the place. Fortunately, because I had no idea if I was actually coming up until that day, I hadn’t promised to get up there at any particular time. Maybe I can make another trip up just to see it.

We stopped at Lowe’s because they have one in Saratoga and we don’t, picked up some stuff, and headed to Vermont. The drive was very pretty, the rain held off, and the temperature dropped. There are many things I would have liked to photograph, but didn’t get the chance. Oh, well.

We drove across what’s basically a pass in the Green Mountains, past Bromley Ski Area and with the turn off to Stratton — and it smelled like snow. Technically, it was too warm to snow, but it still smelled like it.

We arrived in Weston later than we planned because we’d lost so much time looking for the exhibit we never found and were starving. We ate at a place called Bryant’s House Restaurant — I’m assuming a guy named Bryant owned it at some point. It’s an old farmhouse converted into a restaurant. The food was excellent – really good chicken pie with excellent biscuits.

We meandered through the Vermont Country Store after lunch. The store was the reason we’d factored in the side trip to Vermont today — we’d seen a few things in the catalog that looked interesting, but the shipping is so exorbitant it was actually cheaper to drive to Vermont and pick it up in person.

The store was really disappointing. To me, it came across more as a mass-produced version of a cliche of an image of Vermont lifestyle, rather than actual Vermont-based arts, crafts, and foodstuffs. When you look around at the overhead for the place, you realize why things are so expensive. We decided to try one of their stollen — stollen is a “must have” in our holiday season. But, other than that, there was nothing we really wanted.

Very disappointing.

But I got some ideas for AMENDS, of all things, while driving through the Green Mountains.

Maple tree in Lenox

Back in the car, back across the mountains, down Rt. 7 through Vermont and down through Massachusetts. By the time we hit Lenox, it was starting to get dark, The Haven had closed (so no curried chicken sandwich for me) and we were tired. If it had been an option, I would have booked into a motel right then and there. But we needed to get home.

So we did. It was raining by now, and dark, and the new headlamps in cars are angled so they hit oncoming drivers (me) right in the eyes. It was not a fun trip.

We stopped to pick up a pizza on the way home, and were back after being on the road for 13 hours.

Ate, watched stupid TV, and went to bed early, after playing with the cats.

I’ve got a headache this morning and am weary, but I have to pull it together to finish the NYFA applications and one short story. I also have to go out and pick up a cake — tomorrow is my mom’s birthday.

Hopefully, I can squeeze in a nap sometime this afternoon. I’m beat.

Devon

Have you wondered how many homes have sold this year in Saratoga Springs? Are prices dropping, or are things getting better?

Here is a comparison of housing data from 2003 – 2009 for you to use in creating an educated opinion. Enjoy!

hallelujah, praise jeebus and everything in between. DIY project #1 of “turn old window into wall decor” is done, and for a mere $50.  (she still needs her hanging apparatus, but this is progress, friends.)

here’s how it all went down.

step 1:

met carey of corks and caftans at reruns in our transplanted city of ‘toga where i procured this old, cobwebby window at the going rate of $18.

before the cleaning, stripping and scraping

step 2:

cleaned cobwebs. unscrewed and pried off old hardware. scraped away paint from glass. filled in old holes. gave the glass a final wipe down.

leo, the apprentice, caught sleepin' on the job

sidestep:

bothered everyone within earshot of my indecision: what color? how should i do it? what about this? or that? my buddy donna knows me too well and was kind enough to supply me with test wood. whew.

step 3:

taped her up. (cracked open beer #1.)

all taped up

step 4:

primed with primer. allowed time to dry.*

(no pictures needed here. i mean, it just looked white again.)

step 5:

applied single coat of gentle blue (originally a valspar color from lowe’s that our local hardware store, allerdice, matched for me using an acrylic latex from pittsburgh paints). allowed time to dry.*

(legitimately forgot to take pictures here. oops.)

step 6:

(beer #2.) sanded down the blue here and there to create the vintage look and feel of old vintage-y things. i waffled back and forth between just sanding or applying an aging glaze, but worried the glaze would look too brown or overwhelming. i like this result.

i'm done. beer me.

here it rests next to my new favorite pillow, courtesy of le hizzle

close up artsy-fartsy shot

i’m now on the hunt for some groovy industrial-type hardware (brackets? a chain?) for hanging this beauty. until then, i’ll revel in a project well done, aka a project completed.

p.s. i only sustained 1 tiny injury. applying tape too quickly, my finger ran across a splintered piece of wood. ouchy.

*i’m impatient and thus broke out the hair dryer to speed up the drying process.

We photographed the Sharkey family at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on a gorgeous late summer evening not too long ago. The family coordinated their clothes perfectly and we had a lot of fun photographing them!

We set up and lit a few different family poses, utilizing the wonderful architecture found at the Hall of Springs …

We also photographed the four Sharkey brothers without their parents:

Finally, while Tina broke down the lighing equipment, I set the Sharkeys up in a different location (without lighting). I tried to give them each their own space. This shot is one of my recent favorites:

Have you ever been stuck?  And I don’t mean wedged down a ravine, I mean in a place of indecision.  Of inner turmoil.  We can become entangled in the simplest of troubles.  The tiniest complications can easily become our nightmare, if we let them.  I believe we can work our way out of a state of being “stuck,” at least in the sense I’m talking about.  Sometimes there are obstacles in our life that will not go away and remain completely outside of our control.  But the way in which we encounter such challenges determines whether or not we get dragged down or fight long enough to escape the quicksand.

I don’t really have any particular situation in my mind right now.  I have experienced many in my past though, and I’m sure many more shall arrive.  This is part of my life experience, as it should be.  By living practically and with a certain degree of trained positivity, I can usually circumvent the pitfalls that show up in my path.  This doesn’t mean I gloss over a serious situation, it simply means that I try to find the redeeming elements, because they are what will see me through.  I have never encountered true suffering in my life, and I hope I never will, but odds are that new challenges will continue to present themselves.  By finding the light in the darkness, the humor in the chaos if you will, I am able to open up new opportunities that might otherwise have been shrouded by the illusion of futility.

I have suffered from depression in the past and currently take antidepressants.  That (coupled with what was at one point near-crippling social anxiety in addition to my Aspergers) has presented me with a fairly unique set of challenges during adolescence, a difficult time for anyone.  Each year I grow.  Situations that rattled me when I was 15 seem inconsequential now, and even moments of extreme confusion and pain from earlier in my college career no longer hold that authority of negativity over me.  Life is hard, but I learn to find the beauty and truth in its mysteries whilst enduring the pain it sometimes holds.

Perhaps, I should try and find a more grounded example.  This summer, I experienced the most challenging experience of my life training with the SITI Company in Saratoga Springs, New York.  It was an amazing experience and an honor to work with so many talented individuals, but at times it was terrifying and overwhelming.  I broke down and wept on more than one occasion.  I felt like I was lagging behind the other actors, unable to do the work to a sufficient standard, and failing to appease my own sense of “accomplishment.”  At one point, I sent a text message to a very close friend which simply read, “I am broken.”

But looking back on this experience now, and even at the time, I knew the incredible importance of what I was doing and realized that ultimately the process suited my best interests.  If there was no hardship, there would be no growth.  And I would be a bad actor and a pretty shallow individual if I never grew.  I feel this change in myself and am told by my professors and even some of my peers that they can sense it as well.  This change manifests in my academic and social life and I realize just how fortunate I am to have had such an experience at the age of 20.  And, in fairness to me and some of my difficulties training this summer, a couple of months ago I was diagnosed with narcolepsy.

It is good to have standards and goals, but they should not dominate one’s existence to the point of becoming barriers in their own right.  My perfectionism has often been my own worst enemy, but when I simply strive for personal excellence unimpeded by external pressures, I am usually my most successful.  In summary, I find this quote comforting:

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.” – Winston Churchill