Notice: This pig has not been vaccinated!

Everyone’s talking about the swine flu these days, it seems.  Whether it’s a discussion of the late vaccines, New York’s speculated defense because of the spring outbreak, or arguments over vaccination side effects, everyone seems to have an opinion.  On the Today show the other day, I heard the decision whether to get vaccinated for the swine flu referred to as “such a personal decision.”  Well, yes and no.  It’s personal in the sense that any medical care is personal, but in several meaningful ways, vaccines are less personal than any other medical decision you might make.  Vaccines aren’t just about you not getting sick — they’re about you not passing it on to other people who might also get sick.  Vaccines are about public health.

I know that lots of people aren’t planning to get the swine flu vaccine when it finally becomes available, and I think that dialog is frequently missing a key point.  Here it is: even if you’re not likely to die from the swine flu, you might come into contact with someone who is.  And sure, those people should be vaccinated, but let’s be real.  The vaccines are coming much later than anyone had hoped, and lots of people even in high risk categories haven’t had it yet.  Even when the vaccines are widely available (probably several months from now), there will be a few people who for one reason or another get missed.  And vaccines aren’t perfect.

read more »

Curses, foiled again!

I know I’ve mentioned I’ve been trying to get some sequins into my wardrobe for several seasons now.  I finally psyched myself to up actually purchase the Gryphon lovely at top (with a fabulous 25% discount code thanks to Retail Me Not!) last week.  And after all that?   Turns out it doesn’t work on me in the size I ordered. ARGH!  After two seasons?  What to do? Order it in an XS and hope it will fit across my shoulders?  Get something else entirely?  I still haven’t figured that out, but I came across a few possibilities that I thought I’d share with you. More sequins after the jump!

read more »

Is anyone else fascinated/staggered/terrified by the proliferation of membership only online sale sites lately?  There’s been a lot of talk in the media about the crises faced by the fashion industry in the “new economy” — is this going to end up being one of them?   Back when we did our membership only sale site roundup, I had experience with only four fashion-oriented sale sites.  Now?   Gilt alone has four different sale sites, including one for vacations, and I’m a member of at least seven other sale sites, specializing in items from beauty products to home goods.   Even one of our perennial favorite stores, Revolve Clothing, has started its own members-only sale site (Reverse). Several of these sites have launched only within the last few months.

read more »

I have a confession.  From being conspicuously single when Femmeiniste launched, I have rapidly progressed to being in a full-blown relationship. You’ve heard about The Man With The Hidden Talents before.  We have been “temporarily” cohabiting since July.  I can now say definitively that he is also The Man With The Hidden Weirdnesses, but as I am the owner of a stuffed Malaysian tapir, I am not in a position to throw stones.

I’ve actually been shocked at how easy and natural it was, and I can’t quite decide if it was easier or should have been harder because we had no actual intention of the living together lasting this long.  I’ve never lived with a guy before, and this is supposed to be a BIG DEAL.  So far?  There’s nothing easier.  It actually makes me a little suspicious. Isn’t this supposed to be hard?  I’m sure it’ll be more challenging if the temporary cohabitation becomes permanent, but for now it’s all hearts and flowers and caramel macchiatos in bed.  (Benefits of a guy who has to settle for street parking.)  I always imagined that moving in with a guy would mean putting up with a lot of annoying personal habits, but possibly I was just assuming that because The Ex had annoying personal habits.  I guess we’ll see.

The fact that a theoretical two weeks has extended into three months has finally brought home to me, however, the need to make room for the boy’s stuff.  Living out of a suitcase was okay for the first few weeks, but it began to seem a little inhospitable by the time we hit September.  I have cleared him two drawers and some closet space, but he owns stuff.  The same kind of stuff I own.  The stuff that is currently all over the place.

read more »

I have a problem, I’m willing to admit that.  I looooove Adam.  Love it.  I’m perfectly aware that in seasons when I’m trying to save money (like now), I would probably be better off just not looking at the latest round.  Do I have that much self control?  Come on, now.  Since when was self-control any fun?

The ensemble at top is the current object of my desperate lust.  The top by itself, totally cute.  But with the skirt?  The combination of deep colors is just what I need to convince myself that I can survive another winter.  Both pieces come in other colors, but I am in love with the deep purple and blue, serious and sophisticated.

Adam, Adam, Adam.  I might be able to afford that one outfit, but all of the stuff I want?  No way.  Here’s the rest of the haul: read more »

This actually exists. Seriously.

Any other readers of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book out there?  I am far from clear whether there is an actual Neiman Marcus store near my apartment, but the Christmas book still gives me good entertainment on an annual basis.  If you’re unfamiliar with the book, Neiman Marcus goes out of its way every year to put on a good show.  Yes, there’s some stuff in there that normal people might actually want to buy.  But there’s also always a whole parade of preposterous Christmas gifts that someone might buy, but certainly no one I know.

This is my favorite of this year’s preposterous gifts.  It’s not anything like the most expensive at a mere $25,000, but isn’t it great to imagine someone actually going to the trouble of designing and building these things for a Christmas catalog?

Dawn at Oquaga Lake... Life is hard.

Fall returns!  I don’t know about you folks, but I am feeling an urgent need to live it up, as I fear that this may be the last of it that we get.  Last week’s sojourn in late November was in no way enjoyable.  If any of you haven’t made it out of the city for a little fall color yet, here’s a little vicarious foliage for you with the second half of my trip to the Catskills.

After our trip to Storm King, we drove west to Deposit, New York, to stay at the Chestnut Inn at Oquaga Lake.  If you’re looking for a weekend getaway with your honey, I can’t say enough nice things about the Chestnut Inn.  It was, quite frankly, so romantic that the boy and I started speculating on the things that would have to happen next if it was a movie.  You know, tragic misunderstanding — one of us diagnosed with terminal illness — we catch Legionnaire’s Disease from the two-person jacuzzi tub.  (On second thought, that last would be more of a slapstick comedy.)  Deposit’s a bit out of the way (it was about two hours from Storm King), but well worth the trip.

read more »

Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY!

Let’s hear it for fall!  Normally, I am a reluctant connoisseur of autumn. Yes, fall is great,but I am not one of those people who get really sick of light summer textiles before, say, November.  More importantly, fall also heralds the onset of winter, which I hate with a burning passion.  This year, though, I am enjoying it the hilt despite today’s awful East Coast drizzle.  Although I’ve done the fall foliage thing in New England and the Midwest in prior years, this last weekend was my first chance to explore the local resources during a trip to the Catskills.  Here are some of the highlights of our trip for folks looking to get out of the city this fall.

read more »

Any interest in architecture or interior design? Or, you know, have a possibly prurient curiosity about how the other half lives?  This weekend is Open House New York‘s big annual weekend event.  I have to admit, I’ve been a bad New Yorker in this regard. Even though I’ve lived in New York since the event began (this is the seventh year), I had no idea it existed until about a month ago.  What a thing to miss!  This weekend (October 10 and 11), over 350 behind-the-scenes tours of New York buildings and architecture will be available completely free, including both private homes and public buildings.  Never gotten to see the inside of the Woolworth Building properly?  Here’s your chance.  All kinds of buildings in all five boroughs not  normally open to the public will be available for viewing this weekend.  Even if you’re feeling lazy or afraid to deal with the impending appalling MTA closures, chances are something interesting is open near you.

For a list of the open sites and tours, check out the event guide here.

Ready for next week’s opening of “Where The Wild Things Are”?  I am!  What kid didn’t love that book?  Since its publication in 1963, it’s been a treasured part of the childhood of generations of children.  I’m really hoping the movie does it justice.

Since it doesn’t open until October 16, however, we still have a bit of a wait.  If you’re looking to psych yourself up for it in the mean time, try checking out the Animazing Gallery in Soho (corner of Greene and Broome Streets).  From now through November 8, the gallery is hosting a Sendak in Soho exhibition including more than 200 pieces from Sendak’s own collection ranging from art for the Where The Wild Things Are opera, sketches, art from the book, and limited edition etchings.  I stopped in this weekend and was lucky to walk out without a lithograph in my hand.  Do I need a Sendak illustration?  No.  But that was probably the coziest exhibition I have ever been to.  All the illustrations you loved as a kid, the pictures that made the book so memorable — they’re there.  It was like being in the best decorated nursery in the world.  These are possibly the most adorable illustrated monsters in the history of children’s literature.

If you’re not looking to buy and don’t mind the admissions fee, the Morgan Library is also hosting a Sendak retrospective of pieces borrowed from the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia.   I haven’t had the chance to check that out yet, but the exhibition is designed to show Sendak’s creative process and includes pencil drawings and preliminary sketches for the book.

Let the wild rumpus start!