Harvard & (shocking) more snow.

We're up to our eyeballs in snow over here (again) and I am pretty much o-v-e-r it*. But it sure does make for some pretty idyllic scenes, especially around Harvard's campus**.

*storm today. storm tomorrow. blah blah blah. 

**I'm trying to sit in on as many classes as I can since we're only here for one more semester. I had high hopes for this morning's human rights class, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. Still, great to be in a classroom setting again (even if I am a bit of an impostor ;)

Here we go again.

With temperatures spiking to a balmy 35 degrees over the weekend, the mountains of snow have finally begun to melt just the teensiest bit (not that you can really tell, as evidenced by the photos above). Not to worry, though. Another BIG storm is headed our way! Oy vey. 

Happy Friday!

snowy Boylston Street, Boston

And the snow keeps piling up, higher and higher. Driving around Cambridge feels like driving through a series of snow-walled tunnels. It's just not melting. And more is coming! Where is it all going to go?! 

And completely switching gears, b/c none of us can solve that mountainous problem: a plug for my Etsy shop! (I figured it's been awhile :) If you're looking for a unique way to capture those special moments in life (a favorite trip, your wedding day, a significant city), I am offering one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts made with your photos (just in time for Valentine's Day :) Bracelets, canvases, ornaments -- your choice. Below is a bangle I just did for a client commemorating her wedding day in Central Park, and the places that became significant to them during that trip. I absolutely loved making it. First of all, b/c I'm such a sucker for love/romance/weddings, etc. But also b/c it just felt really special to weave those significant images together, her meaningful memories, knowing that she'll be able to wear those meaningful memories around with her wherever she goes. It's a pretty cool thought :) It was the client's vision and idea, but it got me thinking that perhaps others would be interested in a gift/memento like this. So I'm spreading the word......!

Happy Friday!

cuppa jo + snow

snow-watching/working at the 'bucks

Same old news here....snow. More snow (I know, I know...I asked for it!). 6-10 more inches tonight. And beyond. Perfect weather for cozying up with my work and a cup of coffee by the window at my favorite Starbucks. Or staying home under the fuzzy, blue blanket.  

hipstamatic snow.

 Cambridge snow ~ 1/13/11 ~ hipstamtic app

Boston Blizzard of 2011

  So the blizzard did NOT disappoint. Just take a look :)

*

walking through snowy Cambridge...

 

on the way to Harvard Square...

  

then onto campus -- which looked absolutely magical...

 

all the frolicking undergrads in Harvard Yard reminded me of my snowy college days (but can actually only recall 2x that it snowed at mary wash), playing like kids, sledding & snowball fights. so fun.

 and then my camera died. :( 

so the end. 

(boo!)

Blizzard! Is! Coming!

tree & night sky ~ boston

According to every newspaper story, anchorman on tv, internet article, people on the streets, etc., a HUGE BLIZZARD IS COMING! Like, now (well soon). And all through the night. And into tomorrow morning and so on and so on. Finally! A big snow storm for me to play in! Dan's classes have already been canceled and even though I work from home and therefore my work won't "technically" be affected, I *might* take a few hours off to frolic, bake brownies, read a book by the window as the flakes fall, etc. Fingers crossed that this thing is as good as they say it's going to be. 

Happy Weekend-ing!

snowy Faneuil Hall

Disappointed to only get a slight dusting after predictions for a much bigger storm. Between all of our travels, we've managed to miss every single big snowstorm on the East Coast thus far! Ready for something substantial. Enjoy the weekend & stay warm! 

Snow Shot!

snow in Columbus Circle ~ taken by dan
(okay, so we're a little out of season for this photo, but it's a great shot nonetheless :)

Hello, snow!

morning snowfall
Okay. I admit it. Snowicane has been one tough contender. A reported 20 inches have fallen so far. 20! Not bad. And I will admit as well that since the snow decided to be ACTUAL snow today, and not the slushy, nastiness we saw yesterday, I kinda like it :) It's kinda pretty. I'm thankful that it's (finally) Friday & that we have a somewhat open, not too jam-packed weekend before us leaving time for things like fire-gazing & snow-frolicking.

Have a good one.

{more pictures from the day}:

Over it.

a slushy mess of a day
This is what I stepped out into on my way to work this morning. A big ol' slushy, icy, snowy mix of a mess. And it continued this way all day. Snow, rain, snow, rain, snow, rain, snow. all. day. long. (And still snowing pretty heavily right now).

I really love New York in the snow (as we all know by now), but this? The endless rain and now this awful, messy slushy mixture? I'm so over it. Over. it.

And completely unrelated to anything Weather or Snow: anybody watching American Idol this year? I quickly caught myself up on the guys' performances from Wednesday night on DVR before the results show aired tonight and WHOA. These guys are supposed to be the cream of the crop? Really? And the 2 guys sent home?! Total rubbish. There were others who were FAR WORSE. It makes me not want to watch the show this year. (But I probably still will).

{more pics ~ a view from above (my office building)}:

Stormy weather...

This is apparently what the sky looks like the night before a "Snowicane" sweeps through. Snowicane? Really? I guess there must have been a lot pressure in that weather room today to come up with something more menacing than "Snowpocalypse" or "Snowmageddon". Not sure it has the same affect. I mean, I'm not trying to knock ya, Snowicane, but it's kind of a pansy name. Just sayin'...

Breaking Out.

snow & cabs on Columbus
After many many hours of researching various flight options and hours and hours on the phone with agents at Southwest, we're busting out of this joint.....!!! We managed to get two seats on a plane leaving Pittsburgh tomorrow (Friday) which means, yes, we are driving to Pittsburgh from NYC (crazy) and yes we will be in Santa Fe by tomorrow night! That is how dedicated we are to getting there STAT! We spoke with my dad and brother earlier tonight (they arrived safe and sound this evening from Chicago) and I have to say it pained my heart a little to not be there, too. So, though it might be a pain in the rear to drive so far to catch a plane (not like this whole experience hasn't been already), it is well worth it to be able to sit fire-side in beautiful New Mexico with my fam tomorrow night :)

This means I will be taking a brief hiatus from blogging and NYC picture posting for a short a time. There might be a random hello or update on life & such from Santa Fe, but if not, I will see you back here next week!

Stay warm.

Snow Day.

the day started out *really* good. we woke up to a winter wonderland & i got the news that my office was closed (yessss). i slept in. drank coffee. talked to my fam on the phone. worked on my bowls & other etsy-prep related tasks:


had harry's for lunch. took a walk through Central Park in the snow. it was all lovely. but then we got the news: our flight to santa fe tomorrow had been cancelled...and now we can't get out until sunday b/c everything is so screwed up. so. sad. now we only get one day overlap with my brother and sister-in-law out there :( SO. SAD. sigh. at least we are getting out there. a delayed vacation is better than no vacation.

so here are some pretty pictures from the day to take our minds off that sad news:

It's snowtime (for real this time!)

sunset over Empire
A big storm is headed our way. BIG. In fact, some flakes are falling right now as I type this (which is already more than Friday's false alarm).

As much as I LOVE snow (and I really do), I feel torn. Normally a 10+ inch prediction would have me excitedly setting my boots & mittens by the door in preparation for a day of frolicking in the park, BUT I am also mildly panicked because we are scheduled to leave for Santa Fe on Thursday (with a layover in Baltimore which is getting another fresh dumping of snow on top of the 30+ inches already ON the ground! Eek).

So. Here's hoping we get enough snow to shut down the city *only* tomorrow (enough to close my office, at least :) but clears out in time for vacation-time! (and please oh please, without repeating last year's horrendous traveling experience. please?).

the snow is a-comin'...

snow on columbus (a view from our rooftop)
nope. not here yet. (i tricked you with that photo. that is from our storm in december. ha!). we are watching the news right now, however, and it's already hit south jersey and supposedly heading to the city "any minute now." only 4 inches at most though, which is NOTHING compared to the estimated 20+ inches my fam at home is getting! no fair!! but some is better than nothin', i say.

**Saturday Update** NOTHING, people. we got nothing!!! i can't believe it. after all the hype! D.C., on the other hand, has 20 inches on the ground, with still another 10 inches or so to come. the biggest snowstorm in 90 years, i hear. no. fair. (sigh). make a snowman for me, family.

snow, work, etc.

a snowy morning
the morning started out quite nicely. the streets were covered with beautiful, powdery snow (i love new york in the snow) and the air felt lovely and fresh. but then i got to work. and it was not a good day anymore. not. good. nothing especially terrible happened, per se. just a whole a lot of little annoyances that added up to one big headache. which i then vented to dan about over the phone late in the afternoon when i didn't think i could go on anymore. and then i got home. and these beauties were waiting for me in a vase on the kitchen table...


...and just like that, the day got good again :)

snow & a weekend recap

~Central Park snow

Today, instead of being trapped behind a big, boring desk at the Day Job, I write to you from a big, comfy sofa in Dan's living room. There is snow falling lightly outside the large windows that face Columbus Avenue, and HGTV's 'Color Splash' is on in the background as I contemplate what bit of news to share with you today.

My bosses were gracious enough to let me stay home on this very snowy, blustery day since they would not be making it into the office themselves. And so I declared that today would be my writing/practicing music/getting stuff DONE day. So far, however, all I've managed is a nap, a walk through the snow with Dan for some lunch (he works from home, lucky duck) and several half-finished blog entries...just can't seem to get inspired.

Maybe I'll tell you about the weekend, which was one of those perfect mixes of relaxation, productivity, fun and randomness.

Okay, yes, let's do that.

Friday night Dan took me to a great southwestern restaurant in the Village called Agave, which made us feel like we were back in Santa Fe again (sigh). There were high hopes of a real, Village kind of night, with live jazz or something "cool" following dinner, but due to low energy and drizzly, cold weather, all we managed beyond dinner was a trip to the supermarket for some Ben & Jerry's before heading back to the UWS and crashing on the couch with our ice cream and TBS re-runs of Sex and the City.

Saturday it was decided that we would allow ourselves a morning/early afternoon of "fun" but then each devote the remainder of the day to catching up on work (him) and practicing music for upcoming gigs (me). So after a neighborhood walk-about and some brunch, we hunkered down in different parts of the apartment to accomplish our tasks at hand. That night, however, it was back to more fun as we headed to the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble for a few hours of browsing (one of my favorite things in the world to do), then headed home again for some Netflix-ing and take-out (specifically, Thai food -- mmm -- and Munich -- maybe the longest, most stressful movie in the world).

Sunday morning was just perfect. Sleeping in, freshly brewed coffee and bowls of cereal, a bit of reading and chatting, then an hour or so of sitting side by side on the couch with dueling lap-tops as we worked on various wedding projects (like the 'Save The Date' announcements and our website). The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity and culture as we hit nearly every neighborhood in the city and had some of those unique "only in New York" moments. First we headed to midtown to my voice teacher's studio for an intimate theater showcase entitled "The Russians are Coming!" -- a collection of Russian monologues and a staged reading of an original one-woman show. Then there was church back on the UES, followed by a trip down to Greenwich Village's Cornelia Street Cafe with friends for an evening of music entitled "Tagore Songs and the Celtic Harp" -- which was a kind of fusion-music that combined "Indian classical and folk melodies, with Irish and British tunes" ... yes, quite interesting. Sitting there in that cave-like setting, though, with candles flickering on each table and this incredibly unique music swelling around us, I definitely had one of those "Ah, yes, I am in New York. THIS is New York!" kind of moments that I know I will never forget. It was the perfect ending to a full and lovely weekend.

*winter song*

Have you seen this video? *love love love* it. Makes me want to put on my mittens and frolic in the snow with friends. And on a day like today, which is like snow on crack...or a winter wonderland gone terribly wrong (if you're in New York, you know what I mean...snow turned to sleet, turned to rain, then died a horrible, dirty, slushy death on the sidewalks and streets. lovely.)...so yeah... this song gives me that sparkly winter-magic feeling that feels so far away on days like today and therefore I have had this song on repeat all day long in order to burn out the memories of this morning's commute.

kw (who introduced me to the song - thanks :) pointed out that the two girls look an awful lot like us. I think she's right. Even down to my glasses and her love of pink! eerie.

SNOW!

You might not be able to tell from this shot captured by my crappy camera phone pressed up against the window in my office, but it is snowing BUCKETFULS here in NYC today. BUCKETFULS! I feel like I am in a snow globe right now -- so pretty. It probably won't feel so pretty in about 20 minutes, however, when I will be schlepping through the snowy, slushy streets with a suitcase, shoulder bag and purse in tow. But for now...from indoors...warm and dry...pretty :)